


The Alpha

by Blue_Night



Series: The Adventures of the Roman Legatus Marcus Retus and his Friends [18]
Category: Men's Football RPF, Original Work, Real Person Fiction, Rome
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Historical, Ancient Rome, Despair, Emotional Hurt, Explicit Sexual Content, Fights, Forced Bonding, Hate Sex, Heartache, Historical Inaccuracy, Hurt, Loss, Loss of Virginity, Love Confessions, Love/Hate, M/M, Making Up, Mating Bites, Mating Bond, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Mockery, Non-Graphic Violence, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Painful Sex, Rape/Non-con Elements, Threats of Violence, forced mating bond, mentioning of battles and violence, partly happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-06
Updated: 2018-10-20
Packaged: 2019-07-27 05:30:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 35,733
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16212419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Blue_Night/pseuds/Blue_Night
Summary: After the lost battle in the Teutoburger Forest, Rome's heart is bleeding and friends have become enemies. Emperor Augustus swears an oath to reunite two powerful Roman families again, the Retus family and the Levantus family, and it's upon their two first born sons Marcus and Robertus to fulfill his oath and become bonded mates. Unfortunately, they are both Alphas though, and Robertus is forced to agree to becoming Marcus' Omega mate and submit to a man who hates him with every fiber of his being ever since Arminius slaughtered three entire Roman legions in Germania back then ten years ago...





	1. A fateful Oath

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Janie94](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Janie94/gifts), [GoForGoals](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoForGoals/gifts), [mariothellama](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariothellama/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Innocence of Youth](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16038743) by [Janie94](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Janie94/pseuds/Janie94). 



> My dear Janie94,  
> this is what comes out when you let my imagination run wild with your cliffhangers. You are entirely to blame for this! ;-*
> 
> My dear GoForGoals and mariothellama,  
> I should update your stories, but I'm not well and not in the mood for them at the moment, so please take this instead to make up for the long wait at least a little bit! <33
> 
> Warning: mind the tags!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Emperor Augustus swears an holy oath to the Gods to reunite the families of the Levantii and the Retii after the bloody carnage in the Teutoburger Forest, and his successor Tiberius is the one demanding that this oath will be fulfilled by forcing the two Alphas Marcus Retus and Robertus Levantus to form a mating bond.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any similarities to 'The Price of Love' are coincidential or a proof of our telepathic bond, my dear Janie! ;-)

_Rome, in the year 10 AC:_

The memory of the lost battle was still fresh, festering like an open wound in the minds of every Roman citizen – even those who hadn't lost a beloved relative or friend in that bloody carnage. They were only few, and each of them knew at least one other Roman who was still grieving the death of a family member or a friend. The horror of the shame and the terrible defeat was still palpable, hovering over the proud city of Rome like a huge dark shadow, and it had caused many friends and families to fall out over the question who was responsible for the losses of so many lives and Rome's pride and honor.

Emperor Augustus leaned back in his chair, regarding the two Romans standing before him thoughtfully. They had once been best friends, but the lost battle in Germania had made them become enemies – just like so many other friends were hating each other now.

Augustus usually didn't concern himself with such feuds, but these two men were the patriarchs of two of the wealthiest and most powerful families of Rome, and he needed both of them to stand by his side in the aftermath of the war and the damage it had caused to Rome's reputation and Augustus' reputation as well.

“The Retus family and the Levantus family have always stood side by side like one family and entity, and I will not allow you to go on with your personal vendetta. So listen to my oath – which is an holy oath approved by the Gods themselves and not debatable in any way. Your firstborns will become mates to form a new and much stronger bond between your families than that which had already been between you before Arminius cut it with his sword.”

Legatus Retus swallowed and slowly turned his head to look at his former best friend. Consul Levantus gritted his jaw, ignoring his glance as he bowed before Augustus. “With all due respect and faith, my Emperor, but they are too young for such an oath, they haven't even presented yet. They could both be Alphas or Omegas, nothing good would come out of this bond then, my Emperor. It could even lead to the extinction of both our families in the end.” the tall man with the dark hair said, and Legatus Retus secretly agreed to that, but he couldn't help but sneer:

“My son Marcus has already proved more than once that he will be one of the strongest Alphas Rome has ever seen when his time to present will finally come Consul Levantus. Your son Robertus on the other hand could as well be an Omega, so you don't need to be afraid that this could happen. It is clear that my son will always be the stronger part of their bond, and that Marcus will be Robertus' Alpha if it ever comes to that!”

Consul Levantus balled his fists, but he still refused to look at the man he'd once trusted with his own life. “My son will be one of the strongest Alphas of the entire Empire, stronger than the weakling you call your son will ever be,” he growled, but both of them went silent when Augustus raised his hand with a dangerous expression on his face.

“The Gods have decided, and their will is not questionable. You will return to Germania, Legatus Retus, and you will serve me faithfully in Mogontiacum until when the time is right for your son to return to Rome and become Robertus' bonded mate – no matter whether they will be Alphas, Omegas or Betas. Your families will be united again from this day on, and they will have to suffer the consequences if you anger the Gods with your objections any further. There shall be no hate and revenge between you any longer!”

“Yes, my Emperor. I will swear an holy oath to the Gods myself – the oath that I will raise my son as Robertus Levantus' future Alpha. Marcus will never submit to the son of a coward, so you'll better prepare your son Robertus to become Marcus' Omega, Consul!” Legatus Retus ground out, his jawline tense, bowing his head before Augustus to hide his true thoughts from him.

“This will never happen! My son Robertus is the stronger one! Your oath will turn against you and your family, Legatus Retus, don't you doubt that!” Consul Levantus followed his example with visible reluctance when he bowed before Augustus as well, and his eyes shone with hate when he met Thomas Retus' hard gaze, staring at the Alpha who had once been his sworn brother in heart and mind.

They parted silently, and Legatus Thomas Retus left Rome without one last glance back, hoping that Augustus and the Gods would have forgotten about this day and his stupid oath when the time had come for his son to present, even though this was more than unlikely to happen.

 

***

 

_Rome, more than ten years later:_

“But why now of all times? It has been so long ago, and the Gods have never demanded that this oath would be fulfilled so far!” Legatus Robertus Levantus stared horrified at Emperor Tiberius, hoping that his ears were playing tricks on him and that he had misunderstood something. He could feel Thomas' eyes on his back, but he couldn't look at him now, not after what Tiberius had just announced.

Thomas Mullericus was one of the youngest senators of Rome's senate, and he was also Tiberius' personal counselor. The emperor who had succeeded Augustus after his death had taken the firstborn of the influential Mullericus-family under his wing when Thomas had presented as an Omega and not as an Alpha like everyone had expected it, making sure that none of the other families would take advantage of Thomas' second gender and try to overtake the patriarchy of the Mullericus-family by forcing Thomas into a mating bond with one of their Alphas.

Robertus had come back to Rome half a year ago to serve Tiberius as his military counselor, and Thomas was the only reason that he didn't go insane in the nest of serpents the capital actually was. Robertus had served in Syria and left his legions only by force, the mere thought of having to endure all those minions and their falseness in Rome making him shudder with disgust. He had presented as an Alpha later than usual, at the age of twenty, and he had never paid attention to his Alpha-nature during his time in Syria, too busied with serving Rome and leading his legions into the battle and to victory. His ruts had been coming only rarely and always being bearable without him having to seek the help of a random Omega, and Robertus gratefully had pushed the memories of what his father had told him into the farthest corner of his mind.

Thomas was the first Omega who had triggered strong Alpha instincts in Robertus and aroused deep feelings in him, and the dark-haired legatus with the handsome aristocratic features and the deep blue eyes had hoped that Thomas would return his feelings and become his cherished mate one day, still refusing to acknowledge that Tiberius' predecessor had sworn an holy oath to the Gods.

His father had told him about Emperor Augustus' decision and Thomas Retus' oath that his son Marcus would become Robertus' Alpha before his death; but Robertus had always refused to think about it, hoping that Augustus' successor Tiberius wouldn't force him to fulfill Augustus' oath and become Marcus Retus' bonded mate.

He and Marcus had grown up together and they had once been best friends, but this had been before the damn Cheruscan Arminius had torn his entire world apart and turned friends into enemies. Marcus had grown up in Mogontiacum where his father had served until his death, becoming a legatus himself and one of the youngest commanders of such an important garrison Rome had ever seen so far.

Robertus didn't even have to ask whether or not Marcus had presented as an Alpha as well, as no Omega would ever become the commander of such a large and important Roman garrison and outpost. Even Betas were normally not promoted to such high ranks, and Robertus couldn't imagine his former childhood friend to be an Omega or a Beta anyway.

He directed his gaze at Tiberius' impassive face, hoping to find any sign that the emperor he'd always considered a true friend wasn't serious about that. “It's been years since I have presented, and you never mentioned this oath until today, so why now of all times, my Emperor?” he dared to ask for a second time, his voice sounding hoarse and almost choked. Thomas' bi-colored eyes were burning a hole in his back, and Robertus unconsciously balled his fists at his side.

Tiberius regarded him with a regretful expression before he averted his eyes from Robertus' straight figure to look at his personal counselor for a moment. “My father, the great Emperor Augustus, had once sworn an oath to the Gods to fulfill their wish and reunite two strong Roman families again, Robertus Levantus. It's not upon you or me to question his decision. Rome's pride and fate depends on this reunion, and the time has finally come to honor Augustus' words and form a new and even stronger bond between the families of the Levantii and the Retii again. Your father heard what Legatus Thomas Retus swore when he learned about the will of the Gods, and he knew his duty towards Rome and never questioned these two holy oaths! You will become Marcus Retus' bonded mate, Robertus Levantus, and you will not object but obey as it is your duty if you don't want to face the wrath of the Gods and the entire Roman empire!”

Robertus swallowed, straightening his shoulders even further as he looked Tiberius in his eyes. There was no way that he would risk that his family and friends would be punished for his disobedience, especially not Thomas. Tiberius must have noticed the growing love between his military adviser and his personal counselor, and Robertus was well aware that Thomas and his family would be the first ones having to face Tiberius' wrath if he so much as only thought of objecting against this mating bond and what it actually implied. “I know where my duties lie, my emperor. It shall be like the Gods want it to be, I will become Marcus Retus' bonded mate.”

Even if Robertus didn't know how this should be possible between two strong Alphas who hated each other will all their hearts.

 

***

 

Marcus hadn't had much time to rest after his arrival in Rome, and he kept his face impassive only with effort when the large wooden portals opened to grant him access to Tiberius' private quarters in the large palace.

He hated being in Rome, he hated the capital and everyone living there except for the emperor himself perhaps, and the person he was about to meet after more than ten years was the one person in the Roman Empire Marcus Retus hated the most.

Robertus Levantus had grown to a beautiful and impressive man and Roman soldier, Marcus had to admit at least that. The dark-haired legatus stood before Tiberius' chair with straight shoulders and a calm face, but his blue eyes shone in a dangerous and ice-cold fire, and if Marcus had ever questioned Robertus Levantus' second gender, then he didn't need to do that any longer, because the man who had once been his best friend and was his most hated enemy now was for sure the most powerful Alpha Marcus had ever encountered next to himself and Tiberius, that much was sure. The dominant vibes coming off of him were not to miss even for the much less sensitive Betas, and Robertus' musky Alpha scent penetrated Marcus' nose even from a distance of several meters. A strong wave of hate coursed through Marcus' veins, hate mixed with regret about what they had lost as much as it was mixed with the urge to subdue this powerful Alpha and prove to Robertus that he was the stronger one of the two of them.

Forcing Robertus Levantus into submission could never undo the hurt and betrayal his father had done to Marcus' father and family, but it was actually the best revenge Marcus could think of – except for actually killing the other Roman and bereave his family of their patriarch and Alpha. But Marcus didn't want to kill Robertus, he wanted his revenge to last longer, and he slowly stalked closer to the older one with the most arrogant face he could muster, letting his eyes travel over Robertus' tall figure.

The other Alpha was dressed with a white toga over the red tunic that showed his rank, just like Marcus was dressed himself as it was appropriate for an audience with the great emperor himself.

Robertus watched him approach the pedestal with Tiberius' chair, but Marcus fixated his eyes on Tiberius, stifling an annoyed growl when Robertus' scent became stronger with every step that bridged the distance between them. The sweet scent of the Omega standing behind Robertus intermingled with the heavy smell of three powerful Alphas, and Marcus darted his eyes to Thomas Mullericus for a split second. The Omega watching him must at least be Thomas, Tiberius' personal counselor. Marcus had never met him personally, but Germania was not so far away from Rome that news didn't spread even to the farthest corner of the Roman Empire in its wild northern part, and his clothes and his proud posture made clear that this Omega was not a slave but a high ranking Roman citizen of an important family.

It angered Marcus that Thomas dared to watch him that openly as the Omega he was, but it was not upon him to put Thomas in his place in front of the emperor, and the best thing Marcus could do was to ignore him. He stopped before the three stairs leading to Tiberius' chair, offering a bow to the Roman who had entered the circle of the Gods when he'd become Augustus' successor.

“My emperor, I followed your call and made the long journey back to the heart of your empire to serve you,” he said, pulling an almost inaudible mocking snort from the dark-haired legatus standing far too close to him now.

“Marcus Retus, my friend, I'm pleased to see you well and healthy after your long journey,” Tiberius greeted him, and Marcus lifted his head when Tiberius made an inviting gesture with his imperial right.

“How can I serve you, Emperor Tiberius?” Marcus asked, even though he knew quite well why Tiberius had ordered him to leave Mogontiacum. His father had told him about Augustus' oath and his own promise to the Gods after his return to Germania so long ago, and times were uncertain again. Tiberius needed the most powerful Roman families to stand behind him, and a sacred mating bond between two of them that was approved and blessed by Jupiter and all the Roman Gods themselves would strengthen Tiberius' own position and make sure that the Levantii and the Retii would stand by his side like one family and unity.

Marcus' own wishes didn't count here, and neither would Robertus' wishes count. It would be the first mating bond of this kind, the first time two Alphas would have to form it for Rome's sake, and Marcus didn't know how it should ever work out without him and Robertus killing each other right at the spot, but Tiberius' hard glance left no doubt that they didn't have any say in this matter but would have to obey without protest.

“You know why I called you, Legatus Marcus Retus. You are here to become Robertus' mate and honor the will of the Gods with your bond.”

A strangled sound made its way to Marcus' ears, this time coming from the Omega standing at Robertus' other side. Marcus smiled grimly. Of course he had noticed the suppressed desire between his future mate and the handsome Omega right when he'd entered the hall, and Marcus felt a secret dirty joy about Robertus' grief and loss Tiberius' order would cause him. Robertus deserved all the pain and grief he must feel, and Marcus would add to them now and make everything worse for the proud Alpha glaring at him from the side.

“I will honor the oath your father the great Augustus has given, my emperor. But I have to honor the promise my deceased father had given the Gods back then as well, and I will not become Robertus Levantus' mate, great and wise Tiberius. His family owes mine more than it could be counted with all the gold of this world, and to make up for the debts Robertus has to pay in the name of his father, I demand that he will become my Omega mate and accept me as his Alpha and his Dominus.”

The deadly silence his words were met with pleased Marcus, and he finally turned his head to look straight into Robertus' blue eyes. “I've come here to claim you as my Omega mate, Robertus Levantus, and there is nothing you can do against it. You will be mine for all of the time, mine to do with as it pleases me. I will make you pay for what your father has done to mine, and you will accept me as your Alpha and your Dominus and submit to me unquestioningly, Robertus Levantus. Because if you don't, then Rome will be destroyed by the will of Jupiter and all the other Gods, and you will be the one being responsible for the destruction of the Roman Empire. The Gods won't allow you to betray them like your father betrayed them and like he also betrayed my father on top of that as well!”

Robertus' face was white like the snow that covered Germania with its soft and thick blanket during the long and hard winters, and if looks could have killed, then Marcus would already be dead by now, killed by the hate shining in Robertus' eyes. But there was not only hate, but also something else glowing in those cerulean blue orbs Marcus had never been able to forget, something even stronger than the lethal hate Robertus felt for him.

The other Alpha opened his mouth, and his quiet words cut through the hot air in Tiberius' private audience hall like a whip when he said:

“I know what I owe the Gods and my beloved City of Rome, Marcus Retus. My father has never betrayed yours though, and I won't betray the oaths that has once been sworn to the Gods to take their anger away from our empire and our families either. It shall be like you said, I will become your mate and accept you as my Alpha. But you will only possess my body, never my heart and my mind - because they already belong to someone else and will never belong to you. You can have your way with me, you can rape me, break me or even kill me, but you'll never be able to break my free will and my heart, Alpha. Love can never be demanded or gained by force, it can only be given freely, and you will never possess my love and devotion.”

A hot wave of red fury shot through Marcus' body, but he suppressed it and bared his teeth to a dangerous smile. “I don't want your love, Robertus Levantus. Your body and your hate is all I want from you, and I will have both from this day on. Say goodbye to your love then, my beautiful Omega, because from now on, you'll be mine and mine alone, Legatus Levantus!”

 

***

 

The next hours passed by in some kind of haze. Robertus had been brought to a set of quarters in Tiberius' palace, and the dark-haired Alpha didn't need to open the door to know that there were guards standing before it to keep him from leaving them and run away as far as he could.

The emperor had at least shown some mercy with him and allowed Robertus' personal slave Rufus to attend him during the ritual bath that would clean him and prepare him for his future mate.

For his Alpha.

Robertus still couldn't believe that he had agreed to become Marcus' Omega mate and accept him as his Alpha and Dominus. But his mouth had spoken before his mind had actually progressed what he was saying, and Robertus couldn't take them back, not if so much depended on this bond. Rome needed the approval of the Gods, and the beautiful city was Robertus' home, a home he hadn't wanted to come back to at all, but Rome was his home nevertheless and would always be.

“Marcus Retus is not cruel, and he's a honorable man, Dominus,” Rufus said to soothe him when he carefully pulled the simple white tunic over Robertus' lithe frame and slung the small red leather cord around his slim waist.

“You should stop calling me Dominus, my dear friend,” Robertus sighed, “this is reserved for... him... in the future. And you're right, Marcus is not cruel, and he's for sure honorable, just like his father has been. But he hates me, and he wants to see me suffer for what my father has done to him.”

“Consul Levantus wasn't responsible for what happened in Germania,” the red-haired Celt said reasonably, and Robertus snorted a bitter laugh. “No, he wasn't. And that's not what Marcus is thinking and why he's hating me so much, Rufus.”

“Time will heal even the deepest wounds, Dominus,” Rufus said after a moment of silence, and Robertus looked at him with a sad smile. “Some wounds are too deep to ever heal, my friend. No matter how much time will pass by. Two oaths have been sworn ten years ago, and I will fulfill these oaths, that's all I can do to honor not only my father, but Thomas Retus as well.”

A knock at the door interrupted them, and Rufus went to open it. Robertus swallowed when he he saw Thomas emerging on the threshold, and he schooled his features into his usual impassive mask with sheer willpower. Nothing had ever happened between them, but Robertus' heart cried for what could never be now, and he could see in the depths of Thomas hazel-blue eyes that the handsome Omega with the light-brown hair felt the same way.

But the Gods didn't approve of their love, and Thomas could never be his.

The younger Roman entered the room with a brief smile in Rufus' direction, but his eyes searched for Robertus' blue eyes. “Our emperor allowed me to bring you something that will make it easier for you, Legatus Levantus,” he said, lifting the small carafe he held in his hand. Robertus stared at it with a frown. “I won't let myself be drugged. I want to face my future mate with a clear mind,” he objected, and Thomas shook his head.

“The herbals won't drug you, Robertus,” he whispered after a quick glance at Rufus. Robertus' personal slave was still standing by the door to give them some privacy though, and Thomas turned his head again to look pleadingly at the Alpha. “They will just make it easier for you to form a bond with... him. Plus, they will make sure that you... won' go into rut over the next days.”

“I've never needed suppressants, my ruts have never been that strong or regular,” Robertus growled, but his body was already reacting to Thomas' delicious sweet scent and his closeness, and Robertus had a hard time suppressing his Alpha instincts and his wish to claim the beautiful Omega he loved so much right there and then.

“I know. But you will need them now, believe me. Please, Robertus, do it for me. I can't stand the thought of you getting hurt.”

“I'm an Alpha, I won't get hurt! Marcus is not stronger than I am How even dare you, Omega!” Robertus hissed through gritted teeth, glaring angrily at Thomas, and the Omega stepped back and lowered his head down. “I'm sorry, Robertus,” he whispered huskily, not daring to raise his chin again, and Robertus felt as if someone had poured a bucket with ice-cold water over his head when he stared at Thomas.

Because he wouldn't have any right to call himself an Alpha any longer, not when this day and the following night would be over.

“No, it's me who has to be sorry, Thomas. I didn't mean to growl at you,” he sighed, reaching out to gently touch Thomas' cheek for a moment. The Omega shivered, and his scent became sweeter, his reaction sending a painful wave of desire through the dark-haired legatus.

“I wished you could be mine, Thomas, I really do,” he whispered hoarsely, and the Omega looked up. “I wished the same, Robertus. But the Gods have decided, and I'd never expect you to break an holy oath. I know that you would hate yourself for that.”

“I can't hate myself more than I'm already doing, Thomas,” Robertus gave back, and Thomas turned away from him to fill one of the mugs on the small table with the beverage he had brought him.

“You would, believe me. Plus, you would never be able to forgive yourself for breaking these oaths – even though you weren't the one swearing them. Please drink, Robertus – if not for your own sake, then please do it for me.”

Robertus took the mug to lift it to his mouth, his eyes never leaving Thomas' face when he emptied it with three big gulps. “He can force himself upon my body, Thomas,” he said when he put the mug back onto the table, “but he can never force himself into my heart. He can never make me not love you as much as I do. You are my one true mate deep in my heart, and nothing will ever change that.”

Robertus hadn't intended to confess his love to Thomas like that, but he needed to tell him how he felt about him before he would belong to another man, and Thomas seemed to understand how important this was to him, because he reached out to touch Robertus' face like he had done it a few minutes ago, looking him deep in the eyes when he said:

“And I will always love you, Robertus. You are my Alpha deep in my heart, my mate, and I will never stop loving you, I promise you.”

 

***

 

Only few torches and candles illuminated the rather small temple that belonged to Tiberius' palace, bathing the sacrifical offerings lying before the statues that represented the Gods Jupiter, Juno, Janus and Mars in their golden light.

Marcus felt a cold shiver run down on his spine even though it was still rather hot outside, but the white walls of the temple were too thick to let the heat seep through them. Robertus stood beside him dressed in a similar simple white tunic like Marcus was wearing it himself, and he was so beautiful that it almost hurt to look at him. Robertus' face was as emotionless as the face of a lifeless marble statue, and he stood perfectly still, but Marcus could literally grab his hate, anger and despair with his hands.

Marcus had thought that he would draw pleasure out of Robertus' despair, but all he felt was exhaustion and pain when he listened to the words of the priest with a stony face of his own, wishing that the official bonding ceremony would finally be over.

Tiberius himself was standing beside the priest as a witness of their bonding, and Marcus wondered why Thomas Mullericus was there as well, because Tiberius seemed to really care about him, and he must know how much it had to hurt the fascinating Omega to be a witness of Robertus becoming the mate of another Alpha.

The third witness was the head guard of Tiberius' personal guards, another Alpha with dark curls and dark eyes. Matteus had once been Marcus and Robertus' friend, but this had been a long time ago, before Arminius had cut right through Rome's heart with his sword and his betrayal. Now he was just another Roman to Marcus, someone he refused to call him friend anymore.

The blond Alpha could see that it was different for Robertus, and that Matteus was angry with him at Robertus' behalf. Not that Marcus would have cared about that and the other Roman's feelings. All he cared about was that he would soon get the revenge he'd waited to get for so long, and that Robertus would soon be his and call him his Alpha and Dominus.

“The Gods will honor this bond between the Retus- and the Levantus-family with their blessing, and the enemies of their child Rome will be defeated when these two strong Alphas have become one! They will surrender to the Empire, like one Alpha will surrender to the other one, and Rome will rise back to full strength and glory and gain victory and honor again!” the priest said, raising his arms and spreading them, and the flames of the torches burnt higher and brighter all of a sudden, an unmistakable sign that Jupiter and the Gids wanted this bond to be formed between Marcus and Robertus.

The blond Alpha felt his teeth ache with the overwhelming urge to sink them deep into Robertus' throat and taste his claret when he stared into the golden flames, his vision blurring with the strong desire he suddenly felt for the other Alpha standing so close to him. Robertus turned his head away from Tiberius and the priest to look at him, and Marcus moved even closer with a growl, taking his shoulders in an iron grip.

Robertus' heavy Alpha-scent enclosed him like a warm bubble, but there was a thin underlayer, almost not to detect, the faintest hint of oh so tempting and delicious sweetness. Robertus must have touched an Omega before had had come to the temple, and Marcus knew quite well who this Omega had been.

Marcus growled again and pulled Robertus close to his burning body, the first wave of his approaching rut capturing him. “You're mine, Robertus, only mine!” he snarled passionately, eventually giving in to his Alpha instincts and his painful desire to mark the other Alpha as his alone, his teeth breaking delicate skin as he bit down hard until he could taste Robertus' blood on his tongue.


	2. Mating Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marcus and Robertus have gone through the ceremony of the ritual mating in the temple with Tiberius as one of their witnesses, and now they have to spend the night together as bonded mates, Robertus' first night as the Omega he'd been forced to become for Rome's sake...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My dear friends,
> 
> I wanted to write the second chapter as long as it was so clear in my mind, it is told from the POV of both of them, and I pushed Robertus and Marcus through a lot, I fear...

Marcus hadn't expected Robertus to taste so deliciously.

Marcus hadn't expected to feel so much pleasure and longing when he would finally claim Robertus as his mate – as his Omega.

The other Alpha struggled as he tried to get away from him, to tear his throat away from Marcus' sharp teeth. The blond legatus growled and dug his nails warningly into Robertus' shoulder blades, not willing to let go of his prey and let him slip away.

Robertus' blood filled his mouth with its strong iron taste, and his musky Alpha scent filled Marcus' nose, arousing the strong wish in Marcus to force the other man into submission and mount him right here in the temple to quench the fire of his first rut within a whole year.

Marcus' ruts had never been strong or regular, but this time it was different, liquid fire running through his veins with the force of his desire and his emotions. Marcus had never felt this way, never felt like burning alive, and his rut almost overwhelmed him, his body rembling with the force of his emotions and the passion he was feeling for the beautiful Alpha still struggling in his arms.

 _'Mine, he's mine, mine, mine!'_ was all Marcus could think, and the thick threads of their forced bond weaving between them only boosted his need and his desire. The mixture of raw emotions he could sense through the still fragile and weak link between them made his knees buckle, and Marcus bit down harder to strengthen the connection between them. Robertus let out a snarl of pain, and the pain he felt because of Marcus' violent biting intermingled with the pain of his own rut and made him hard and aching for his unwilling and fighting mate.

Hate, fury, despair, confusion and loneliness, regret and the love Robertus felt for another man than him, all of these emotions rushed through Marcus' mouth where it was connected with Robertus' neck, spreading out into every cell of his vibrating and with pleasure humming body, and Marcus lost himself in the sensations and sucked at the other Alpha's throat as if his life depended on it.

Which it probably did. His own desire and pleasure floated in the opposite direction and right into Robertus' trembling body, and the dark-haired Alpha let out a whine and eventually stopped his struggling and fighting, finally tilting his head to the side to grant Marcus what was rightfully his, approved and blessed even by the Roman Gods.

They were both breathing hard and fast when Marcus was finally capable of drawing back from Robertus' abused throat, the other Roman's deep red and oh so precious claret still coating Marcus' lips. They stared at each other silently, unaware of the others watching them attentively.

Marcus leaned closer to capture Robertus' lips in a bruising kiss, pushing his tongue deep into the soft cavern of his mate's mouth.

 _'Mine, you're mine!'_ was still all Marcus could think, and Robertus melted against him for a split second before pulling his lips away from Marcus' fierce and violent kiss with an angry growl. Marcus bared his teeth to a triumphant grin as he cocked his head to the side teasingly, challenging the other Alpha to complete their bond and bite him as well.

“You will make for a wonderful mate, my defiant Omega,” he purred when he saw the expression of hate and self-loathing on Robertus' handsome features. “What are you waiting for? This is your only chance to have your way with me for at least a short moment, you shouldn't waste it with hating me, Robertus. I know that you want to bite me, that you crave to bite me hard and complete our bond. Just do it. I will reward you for your obedience in our cozy mating bed later tonight if you'll be my good Omega now.”

Robertus howled and surged forward, grabbing Marcus by his arms and attacking his neck with his teeth. The sharp ache when he broke Marcus' skin made the blond Alpha gasp out, and he pulled Robertus closer and tilted his head further to the side to make it easier for his mate to leave the mark that would be the visible proof of their bond, a bond that was formed by hate, contempt and ire instead of love and devotion. But the Gods wanted this bond between them, and Marcus was not the one to argue with the Gods about their will and the fate of the Roman Empire. He might prefer to live in Germania, but he was still a faithful child of the proud City of Rome, and this would never change.

The pain shooting through his neck when Robertus started to suck forcefully at his throat went straight into Marcus' groin and increased his desire and his rut, and Marcus needed to gather all of his self-control not to rip the tunic from Robertus' lithe body and take him on the floor of the temple in front of the statues and the witnesses still watching them.

But Robertus was his and his alone, and Marcus didn't want the others to see Robertus' face when he would take him for the first time. This was reserved for him only, and Marcus focused on the way Robertus' warm lips felt on his burning skin, soft and warm and so delicate. The invisible threads that linked them together became stronger and thicker with every second and every gulp Robertus took from his blood, and Marcus heard himself whisper unintelligible words of encouragement into Robertus' ear.

He felt dizzy by the time the dark-haired legatus drew back from his throbbing throat, and he took Robertus by his shoulders and kissed him hard again, forcing his lips apart with his tongue for a second time. He could sense Robertus' wish to bite him and hurt him through their bond, but the other man remained passive, enduring Marcus' kiss without fighting against him.

His silent bearing hurt Marcus much more than Robertus fighting him would have hurt him, and he stepped back with a blank expression but burning eyes.

“The Gods gave our bond their blessing, Robertus Levantus,” he said, “it will be strong and unbreakable for as long as Rome will be their beloved child. You are mine now, and you will follow me wherever I go and serve me as my devoted mate from this day on.”

Robertus couldn't hide his desperate flinch at Marcus' words, and he turned his head to look at Tiberius, who stood beside the priest with an unreadable face. Tiberius must be aware that he would lose his military adviser when Marcus returned to Mogontiacum, but the prospect of having to promote another officer to that post didn't seem to disturb the emperor much.

“You will be my cherished and valued guests for the next couple of days,” was all the emperor said. “Your quarters have already been prepared, you surely wish to retire and complete your bond in more private surroundings.”

Robertus flinched again, and Marcus suppressed an annoyed growl. He had hoped to return to his own villa and claim his mate in his own bed, but Tiberius' 'kind offer' had actually been a clear order, and the blond legatus knew that he'd better not argue with him.

“You're too generous, great Emperor,” he thanked Tiberius dutifully, earning a knowing smile in return. “This bond is meant to reunite your families in friendship and love again, Marcus. I expect you to treat your mate well and with patience and understanding. He will struggle with his new role for some time, and he's still my adviser and has to be able to fulfill his duties.”

Marcus forced a smile on his face when he returned Tiberius' hard glance. “Of course, great Emperor. Robertus belongs to me now, and I know his value, believe me. I always treat what's mine with care.”

He could feel Robertus' eyes on his face, but he couldn't look at him in this moment, and his rut became stronger with every minute that passed. Tiberius regarded him for a few more seconds before finally nodding his head.

“Fair enough, my friend. Matteus will accompany you to your quarters, I can see that you long to be alone with your mate.” The emperor made a dismissive gesture with his hand, and Matteus bowed his head before him and waved at Marcus and Robertus to follow him to the exit and the guest quarters where they would spend their first night as bonded mates. Marcus took Robertus' arm in a firm grip because he wasn't sure that the dark-haired Alpha would follow him, his rut raging in his body and his thoughts racing in his mind.

Robertus was his Omega now, and Marcus had no idea how they were supposed to survive this night.

 

***

 

Robertus watched Marcus pacing up and down in the surprisingly large room that served as a bedroom and as a dining room at the same time. Tiberius had been so foresighted to choose a set of quarters where the windows were placed under the ceiling instead of the large window fronts and glass doors Robertus knew from the other guest quarters. This way Robertus wouldn't be able to flee from this place, and he wouldn't be surprised to find guards standing in the corridor before the quarters if he were actually considering trying to make an escape through the door.

Which he wasn't.

Robertus had always been a man of his word, and it was too late to think of running away now anyway. The mark on his neck was throbbing and aching, a constant reminder of the bond between him and Marcus Retus. He couldn't escape the man who hated him so much any longer, he would always belong to him, no matter how many miles he would try to put between them. His hope that Tiberius would allow him to take Thomas as his beloved mate and his cherished Omega had been crashed in the cruelest way possible today, and Robertus didn't care about his own well-being and his life any longer.

Both belonged to Marcus now, and the Alpha he had sworn to serve and to surrender to could do with him as it pleased him, punishing, beating and torturing him – even killing him if he wanted to. It didn't matter to Robertus what Marcus would do to him if he couldn't have Thomas, and he leaned against the wall beside the door with his arms folded across his chest, watching Marcus' restless pacing with something akin to distant curiosity.

Robertus felt numb and cold inside, a coldness that came from the deepest parts of his soul and which even the hottest fire couldn't chase away again.

Marcus carded his fingers through his red-blond hair for the umpteenth time, and Robertus felt a soft tingling in his belly. The patriarch and Alpha of the Retus family was for sure an attractive man, but he was the man Robertus hated with the same force as Marcus hated him, and he would never love him the way he loved Thomas, the kind and beautiful, brave Omega who had fascinated him right at first sight.

“Are you hungry? Do you want to eat something?” Marcus' sudden question pulled Robertus out of his musings, and he blinked and looked at the table between the recliners at the other side of the room. One of Tiberius' slaves had left two plates with food on the table, together with a carafe filled with red wine and two goblets.

“Why caring about my well-being, Marcus? Why not going straight to raping me? I'd actually thought that you wouldn't want to waste any more time than necessary, as eager as you were in the temple to mount me there right away.”

Marcus came to an abrupt halt, his amber-green eyes glowing darkly as he searched for Robertus' mocking gaze. “I just wanted to make it easier for you, Robertus!” he growled, and was there actually hurt shining in his eyes? Robertus was sure that his eyes had been playing tricks on him, it couldn't be that he was actually able to hurt Marcus with his words.

“And risk that I will throw up all over you when you take me? Hmm, you're still able to surprise me, I guess. What about you? Are you hungry, my _Alpha_?” he asked in return with a raised eyebrow, and the blond Alpha gritted his teeth in anger.

The whites of Marcus' eyes were shining in a deep red color, and Marcus' musky scent lay heavy on Robertus' tongue. He didn't need to ask the blond about his rut, he could sense the pain of Marcus' state through their newly formed bond more than he would have liked to feel it, and he was grateful now that he had drunk Thomas' beverage as it saved him from going into rut as well.

Marcus turned his head away for a moment, and Robertus could see how he balled his hands to tight fists several times. “No, I'm not.” Marcus' rut was already too strong for him to eat anything at this point, he would throw up everything he ate as long as the fire of his unfulfilled desire was raging inside him like that.

“So what are you waiting for, my _mate_? Getting cold feet all of a sudden that you won't be able to dominate me, aren't you? Fearing that I'm too strong for you to handle?” Robertus didn't know what it was making him challenge the other Alpha like that. He should be glad that Marcus hadn't made any attempt to come closer to him so far, but he felt angry and betrayed instead, and Marcus' iron self-control was confusing and infuriating at the same time. “Are you not man enough to put me in my place, _Alpha_?” he sneered, the pain and need coursing through their bond making him bare his teeth. He might not go into rut because of the herbals Thomas had given him, but he was still an Alpha himself, no matter what he had sworn only an hour ago, and the strong emotions and desire Marcus was sending out affected him pretty much.

Robertus refused to think further about his real motives to make Marcus finally take him, and he wasn't prepared for the furious Alpha jumping him like a big cat would jump its prey, the younger one reminding Robertus of one of the beautiful golden lions he had seen in Syria. Marcus snarled and growled when he pinned Robertus against the wall to attack his mouth with a fierce and furious kiss, and his head banged painfully against the hard stone. He opened his mouth under the ardent onslaught, and he tried to bite Marcus when he pushed his tongue into his mouth, but Marcus pulled harshly at his dark hair and wrapped his fingers around his throat warningly.

Robertus went still, trapped between the unyielding wall and Marcus' equally hard body, gasping for air when Marcus tightened his grip around his throat. “You're mine, Robertus. Mine to take, mine to subdue and dominate, mine to do with whatever I want to do with you. You will not fight against me but accept me as your Alpha and your Dominus! Am I understood?” Marcus whispered against Robertus' torn lips in a dangerously quiet voice when he let go of his mouth after what felt like an eternity to Robertus.

He licked the blood from the spot where Marcus' teeth had grazed his bottom lip, swallowing hard when he saw the fire burning in the other man's eyes. “Yes, you are, Dominus,” he ground out in a shallow voice, his lungs aching when Marcus loosened his tight grip around his wind pipe a little bit and fresh air filled them again.

“Good. I'm not a cruel man, Robertus, and I treat my charges well and with kindness. But you are my Omega now, and I will punish even the smallest disobedience until you've learned your new role and where your place is now, don't you doubt that.”

“I didn't expect any less coming from one of the Retii, _Alpha_ ,” Robertus retorted, still defiant, and the hard slap across his face pushed his head against the wall again. Robertus suppressed a pained groan, not wanting to give Marcus the satisfaction of seeing him vulnerable.

“Don't do that again, Omega.” Marcus stepped back, and the two men measured each other for a moment. “The first thing you need to learn is that you won't be allowed to wear any clothes until I'll tell you otherwise, Omega. You won't hide your body from me.”

Robertus swallowed and clenched his hands hanging down at his sides now, lifting his chin in defiance. Marcus narrowed his eyes when he didn't move, pursing his lips. “Undress, Omega, or I will do that for you.”

Robertus didn't move. “Just go ahead.”

Marcus pursed his lips, and Robertus felt a cold rush of fear running down on his spine when the blond's gaze fell onto the sharp knives lying beside the plates.

“As you wish, my beautiful Omega.” The younger Alpha stalked over to the table to take one of the knives, locking eyes with Robertus when he lifted it up to caress his cheek with the shimmering cold blade.

“Still so stubborn and defiant, Robertus. It shall be my pleasure to teach you your lessons.” Another wave of hot fire and pain shot through their bond, and Robertus thought that he'd gone too far this time. Marcus must be halfway out of his mind because of his rut, and he might as well hurt him seriously with the knife in his state, incapable of using the blade without causing any damage any longer.

His mate chuckled when he sensed Robertus' fear, dropping the blade down to his throat. “I'd advise you to keep still, my defiant Omega, you don't want me to shed your delicious claret too much, do you? Not that I cut some precious parts of your body you don't want to lose yet by accident.”

Before Robertus knew what was happening, Marcus moved the blade downwards on his body, cutting the cord keeping his tunic in place in one swift motion. He gasped out, and the next strike the blond Alpha made cut his white tunic into two halves that parted to the sides, revealing Robertus' naked body to Marcus' hungry stare. The torn linen slipped from his shoulders and glided down to the floor, lying on the shimmering marble tiles in a small bundle before Robertus' feet. His thin loincloth shared the same fate only two seconds later, coming to rest on top of what had once been a proper tunic.

“Do you want me to cut your sandals into two halves as well, Robertus? Your choice, I'm willing to obey you in this matter.”

Robertus closed his eyes and slowly bent down to unlace his sandals and step out of them before Marcus would use the knife to cut them from his feet.

“You're a quick learner, my beautiful Omega, at least that. On the bed, Robertus. Lie on your back and spread your legs for me, it's about time that I'll finally teach you your place properly!”

 

***

 

Robertus was awaiting him in the middle of the bed, his tanned skin building a tempting contrast to the swan-white color of the sheets. He had spread his legs like Marcus had ordered him to do, and Marcus' threats and his cruel behavior had killed whatever kind of desire Robertus might have felt for him thoroughly. The dark-haired Alpha was flat and not aroused, and Marcus wondered briefly why he was still referring to Robertus as an Alpha instead of thinking of him as the Omega he had become after the ritual mating ceremony in the temple – and why he felt so disappointed that Robertus didn't desire him.

Marcus didn't really desire him either, did he? It was only his rut making him burn for the beautiful and proud Roman staring up at him with so much hate and contempt, it couldn't be that he truly wanted him, that he had already started to forget what he had been forced to leave behind in Germania – what Robertus' father had done to his own family?

The blond Alpha growled and ripped his own garments from his body, glad when the soft linen came off and didn't scratch on his oversensitive and flushed skin any longer. His large Alpha cock was ready to take and claim Marcus' prey, the fire of his rut coursing unrestrained through his veins and every cell of his body. Marcus was aching and hurting all over, craving to sheathe himself into the deliciously tight and wet heat of his Omega and make him scream with ecstasy.

Only that Robertus wouldn't do that for him.

Robertus was not an Omega by nature, he wouldn't go wet for him, taking Marcus' Alpha cock smoothly like it was meant to be from the very beginning, and he wouldn't scream for him in ecstasy, only in pain.

Marcus gritted his teeth because his instincts told him to jump the other man and just mount him, but this would cause serious damage to Robertus, and as much as Marcus hated him, but Tiberius' words were still clear to hear in his head.

_“I hope you will treat him well, Marcus...”_

Marcus stopped before the bed, and he couldn't hide a pleased chuckle when he found Robertus staring at the lower parts of his body with morbid fascination.

“Have you ever bottomed for an Omega when you've helped them through their heats?” he wanted to know, keeping his voice impassive, even though he was holding his breath as he waited for Robertus' answer.

“No.”

The hot wave of possessiveness washing over Marcus took him by surprise and made him feel dizzy. “”So you're actually a virgin, my beautiful Omega.”

Robertus turned his head away silently, and the pain, despair and feeling of loss and betrayal coming through their bond tightened Marcus' throat. “Yes, of course, you wanted to be pure for your beloved Thomas!” Marcus spat out, feeling hurt and betrayed himself. He crawled onto the bed, taking the small vial with oil from the bedside table Tiberius' slave must have left there. Robertus' scent was thick and heavy with fear and loathe, and Marcus swallowed against a sudden bout of nausea that captured him and made him want to retch.

Robertus eyed the bottle from the side. “Why wasting your time with such unnecessary things? It won't really ease the pain anyway. I'm an Alpha, not meant to take your big fat coles.”

“That's where you're wrong, Robertus. You're my Omega, not an Alpha any longer. Plus, I promised Tiberius to treat you with kindness and patience to make it easier for you to accept your role,” Marcus snapped, pulling a mocking snort from his unwilling mate.

“Kindness! You wouldn't even know how to spell this word if Arminius were standing before you with his raised sword, ready to kill you if you'd make any mistake!”

Damn it, this really hurt.

Marcus growled, and his first intrusion when he pushed his slick finger inside Robertus' channel was harsher than he'd intended it to be.

“You want it rough, Robertus? Fine, your wish shall be my command!” he snarled, thrusting into the other man without any further ado.

 

***

 

Robertus balled his fists until his nails dug painfully into his palms to keep himself from fighting against the fingers pushing into him again and again, fingers that had no right to be there at all.

Only that Marcus Retus had every right to claim him and use him in every way he wanted to use him. Robertus felt humiliated and desperate, fearing that he would choke on his despair the very next second. He turned his head to the side to hide the silent tears running over his face from the other man, tears that left hot traces on his cold cheeks.

Marcus was trapped in his rut, snarling and growling above him, sniffing at his throat and leaving tiny bite marks on his chest and his shoulders and every other spot within his reach, and Robertus felt another wave of raw need float through their bond and right into his own hurting body. Marcus wasn't gentle, but he wasn't rough or violent either, his impatience to prepare Robertus for their coupling coming from his forceful rut and not from any kind of real cruelness.

Robertus still felt raped and abused though, and he stifled a sob because he didn't want Marcus to see his true emotions. He wouldn't allow Marcus to see him cry and break, and he would endure their mating with the pride and bravery of the Roman soldier and strong Alpha he was – no matter what Augustus' damn oath had forced him to become. He would never change his true nature, not for any price and not for anybody.

Marcus bit down on his jawline when he pulled his fingers out, hissing angrily when Robertus refused to look at him.

“Look at me, Omega! I want to see your face when I take you!” Marcus' voice was hoarse with need and pain, and Robertus drew in a shaky breath and slowly opened his eye to meet Marcus' heated glance.

The blond Alpha covered Robertus with his slim body, and Robertus felt himself react to the other man's strong arousal against his will. “Why wanting to see my face, Legatus Retus? Why not fucking me from behind like it would be the right thing to do to teach me my place?” he hissed, and Marcus narrowed his eyes again.

“Because I want to make sure that you'll know who it is taking you, Robertus. I won't allow you to close your eyes and imagine that it is Thomas making sweet love to you!”

“As if this could ever happen, Marcus! You reek of Alpha and rut, I'm already sick from your stinking smell!” Robertus growled back, but this time Marcus didn't slap him like he'd expected him to do, but threw his head back laughing with true amusement.

“One thing I know for sure, my sweet Omega, I will never get bored with you by my side. Now be a good Omega and spread your legs for me, Robertus, because I will make you mine now, all mine!”

 

***

 

Tight, so tight.

Hot, so hot.

Robertus was so tight and hot that Marcus' head was spinning with all the sensations battering his nerves when he searched his way inside Robertus' body with his pulsing cock as slowly and carefully as he was able to do in his state, his rut demanding release from the fire burning him alive.

The dark-haired Alpha was staring up at him in silent defiance, but he didn't fight against him, and Marcus could see the dried traces of the tears Robertus had cried during the preparation on his cheeks. He bent down to kiss him, more tender and gentle this time, setting up a slow and steady pace to give Robertus time to adjust to him.

Robertus didn't kiss him back, but he didn't try to bite him either, and after a moment he let out a small sigh and some of the tension left his body when he finally surrendered to Marcus and the lust their coupling aroused in him at least partly. The blond Alpha was well aware that Robertus would normally not feel any desire for him, but their strong bond didn't leave the older one unaffected, and the waves of longing and need Robertus shared with him through their forced mating bond made his soft cock twitch and finally grow hard against Marcus' stomach.

His strong and musky scent tasted deliciously on Marcus' tongue, and he deepened their kiss, licking curiously around in Robertus' mouth. The other Alpha remained passive, letting Marcus use his body, and he was looking at him again with hooded eyes when Marcus drew back from his swollen lips to gaze down at him.

Marcus was painfully hard and aching with the need to come and claim his mate with his seed until there would be no doubts left whom Robertus belonged to from now on, and he moved faster and faster, growling and snarling his desire against the fresh bite mark on Robertus' neck. Robertus' groans and gasps spurred him on, and Marcus gave in to his desire and forget everything else, the hate between them - and that Robertus was not the Omega Marcus had dreamed of when he had lain in his lonely bed in Mogontiacum, not even an Omega by nature at all, but another Alpha, his adversary.

Robertus was his sworn enemy, the man Marcus Retus hated the most in this world, but all of this didn't matter any longer when the blond legatus lost himself in the throes of passion and filled the other man with his hot claim, marking the beautiful Alpha who was his Omega now as his for all of the time - until the world would stop spinning and Rome would not exist anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'Coles' is Latin for penis, cock.


	3. Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marcus has claimed Robertus as his Omega and mate, and the night is far from being over...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My dear friends,
> 
> I will answer to all of your lovely comments as quickly as possible, but I got some time to write and I didn't want to let you wait for the next chapter for too long because I had it so clearly in my mind. I should stop torturing our boys, I guess, but Robertus is still sruggling, and Marcus is still trying to put him in his place... ;-P

Robertus woke up in the middle of the night, his entire body throbbing heavily with pain and need. It took his sleep-addled mind a moment to realize that he was sharing Marcus' feelings through their strong bond again, and he suppressed a groan and slowly opened his eyes to look around and orientate himself.

He must have fallen asleep shortly after Marcus had taken him and marked him with his seed, exhausted from all the overwhelming emotional experiences he'd gone through within just a few hours. Marcus had pulled out of him and turned away from him before his knot had swollen inside Robertus' body, and the last thing the dark-haired Alpha remembered was that he'd turned on his other side as well to curl himself up into a small ball and close his eyes in the attempt not to cry again.

It was apparent that he must have succumbed to sleep without noticing it, and the younger man had shown some mercy with him at least and not tried to wake him up again for a second round although his rut was far from being over.

Which was why the pain of his rut had roused Robertus from his fitful slumber now. Marcus' rut must be on its peak, and Robertus wondered why the bed beside him was so cold instead of the heat he'd expected to feel lying close to the other Alpha's burning body.

It took Robertus another moment to realize that he felt cold because Marcus had left him to use one of the recliners at the other side of the room instead. Whether it was because Marcus hadn't wanted to disturb him or because he loathed Robertus as much as he himself despised the younger one was left in the darkness and up to Robertus' imagination though – probably a mixture of both of these two possibilities.

Robertus craned his head to look over to the dark figure lying curled up on the left recliner with his back to him, and the rhythmical movements of Marcus' arm and the admittedly rather quiet sounds he was making – strangled groans and gasps and the obscene noises of fingers rubbing over damp skin - gave Robertus a good impression of what the blond Alpha was doing and why he had woken up from Marcus' rather useless attempts to take care of himself.

Another wave of hot and searing pain shot through their bond within the next second, and Robertus had to bite down on his already bitten lip not to groan loudly himself. He stared at Marcus' back hidden partly in the black shadows of the night with a frown, not sure what to think of the other Alpha's considerate behavior. Marcus must sense that he was awake by now, but the younger man didn't turn around to him, only stopping in his doing for the blink of an eye before he began to move his hand once more, faster and more urgent.

“What are you doing, Marcus?” Robertus asked, his voice still slurred from having been sound asleep only minutes ago.

Marcus flinched, and he stilled his hand and stifled another groan. “What does it look like to you, Robertus?” he answered with a counter question after some seconds had past, mockery and sarcasm dripping from his hoarse and raw voice. Unbearable heat and need was coursing through their link and Robertus' own body constantly now, threatening to drive him mad even though it wasn't him having a rut but only Marcus, and he wondered briefly about the truly astonishing fact that the younger Alpha was still capable of talking in whole sentences and lying so still instead of jumping him and ramming himself into Robertus' body now that he was awake again.

Robertus might be the one person Marcus hated the most in this world, but he was also his bonded mate now, and Marcus' instincts must scream with the drive to mount his mate and quench the unbearable fire raging inside his veins and his groin. That Robertus was actually an Alpha himself and not meant to help another Alpha through their rut like an Omega would do didn't matter here any longer – not when Marcus had already possessed him and dominated him like he'd done it just a few hours ago.

“Why don't you come here? I could help you much better,” Robertus heard himself say much to his own astonishment, and his words pulled a violent shiver from his mate, but Marcus remained where he was, shaking with the chills and the fire running through him at the same time and curling himself up to a tight ball when another wave of hot pain captured his body.

“I will hurt you if I come near you,” the blond legatus ground out when he was able to speak again, and Robertus swallowed. He still hated Marcus because of what he had done to him, but he couldn't stand seeing his mate suffer like that either, torn between his wish to pay Marcus back for everything that had happened between them and between their fathers and his strong urge to ease the horrible pain his mate was going through.

“So considerate of me, Legatus Retus? How comes that?” he snarled, “do you fear that our great emperor will punish you if you rape me again? I don't think that he would do that, Marcus. He's an Alpha himself, and he has lived long enough to know what it means to go through such a forceful rut without help, I guess.”

There was a moment of silence, and Robertus had to dig his nails into his palm because of all the emotions and feelings battering him through their bond when Marcus struggled to gather the last shreds of his iron self-control and keep himself from mounting Robertus right there and then.

“No, I don't fear any punishment. I... I just don't want to hurt you more than I've already done, Levi,” Marcus admitted almost inaudibly after some time, using the nickname he had always called him by – back then when they had still been best friends so long ago.

Robertus froze when the petname he'd once loved so much brought back the memories of a sunny afternoon all of a sudden – memories he'd buried deep inside his soul for years because it had been too painful to think of them when Marcus had become his lethal enemies because of the broken bond between their fathers.

It had been a wonderful and warm late summer day more than twenty years ago, but Robertus remembered everything as clearly as if it had happened only yesterday.

They had spent the summer together in the villa of Robertus' father before Thomas Retus would leave Rome together with his family to serve in Germania for the first time, and Robertus had found Marcus sitting hidden under a thick bush and crying his heart out. They had still been small boys, Robertus had just celebrated his sixth birthday, and Marcus had become five years old a couple of months ago.

 

***

 

_“Mars, why are you crying?” Robertus crouched down beside his desperate friend to wrap his arm around him, and Marcus buried his face on his shoulder and sobbed even harder. Robertus stroked his red-golden hair, wishing that he could stop the hot tears that soaked his tunic wet from falling._

_“I...I d-d-d-don't-t-t w-w-w-wan-t-t-t t-t-to leav-v-v-ve youuuu,” Marcus sobbed, “I don't want to go to Germania. People say that it is a cold and hostile place to live in, and I will miss you so much when I'm there without you!”_

_“I will miss you too, Mars,” Robertus murmured into the fragrant golden strands of Marcus' hair, “but you will come back to me soon enough, you'll see.”_

_“No, I won't. You will forget me and find someone else, and we will never be friends again,” Marcus hiccuped, Robertus' gentle stroking and rocking soothing him a bit._

_“We will always be friends, Marcus. You are my best friend and I know for sure that we will be mates when we're old enough to form this bond,” Robertus objected, pulling Marcus' thin body closer to his own stronger one._

_“We can never be mates,” Marcus murmured against his throat, and Robertus nuzzled his neck with his nose without thinking, pressing a shy and chaste kiss onto his skin. Marcus tasted salty because of the tears he'd cried, and his scent was earthy and strong, so delicious and consoling that Robertus pressed his nose firmer against Marcus' throat to inhale his familiar scent deeply and soothe himself with that._

_“Why not?” he wanted to know, his voice choked because he felt rejected. “Don't you want to be my mate, Mars?”Marcus had always been Mars to him when they were alone, the name of the powerful Roman God suiting his beloved friend so perfectly – even though he was still a little child. Marcus had always been the bravest and most honorable boy of their large clique of the sons of the noblest Roman families, the one who stood up for others and never cheated when they played a game, always defending other boys against older ones without ever showing any sign of fear. Robertus had never been a coward either, but he really admired and adored Marcus for his courage and his strong sense of what was right and what was wrong._

_“Yes, I want to. More than anything, Levi. I love you more than I love anybody else in this world – except for my parents, I mean. I really love you. But two Alphas can't be mates, and I'm sure that we will both be Alphas when we're grown up,” Marcus whispered with a small sob, and Robertus closed his eyes and rocked him in his arms._

_“I hope that I will be an Omega then, Mars. Because I don't want any other mate than you!” he said, crying as well now._

_Marcus lifted his head up, looking at him with teary eyes. “But you always wanted to be a legatus like your father – to be a consul like your father soon will be,” he said, wonder filling his shaky voice. “You can't be a consul as an Omega.”_

_Robertus shook his head with grim determination. “I don't care. All I care about is you. If we can only be together if one of us is an Omega, then I want to be your Omega. You are the bravest and most wonderful being in this world to me, and I love you too, Mars. I really hope that I will be an Omega so we can be mates when we're old enough. I will never love any other being the way I love you!”_

_Marcus' face lit up with new hope and joy, and he snuggled close to Robertus and kissed him on his cheek. “Promise me, Levi?” he whispered. “Promise me that you won't forget me and that we will be mates one day?”_

_Robertus smiled down at him and held him as tight as he could. “I promise you, Mars. One day, we will be true mates forever.”_

 

***

 

Robertus blinked when the memory finally faded, and he wasn't surprised to find his cheeks wet because of those bittersweet memories. They had become enemies before their own childish and stupid promise could have come true, but the Gods must have heard it and decided that the promise the boy Robertus had once given must be kept at all costs – because why would Augustus have sworn his oath if not because Jupiter and all the other Gods of the Roman Pantheon had wanted him to swear it? Robertus' head was spinning, and he didn't know what was wrong and what was right any longer. Why had the Gods let him fall in love with Thomas if they wanted Marcus to be his mate?

“Come here, Marcus,” he said quietly, “let me help you. You won't make it through your rut alone, it is too strong for merely trying to do that.”

The blond Alpha shook his head, and Robertus could feel the sharp sting when he bit down on his lip to suppress a cry of pain as if it was him biting down on his lip himself.

“No, you would only fight against me again, Robertus.”

“I didn't fight against you earlier! I kept still and let you take me without trying to beat you or win the upper hand!” Robertus objected, pulling a bitter laugh from the younger one. “You didn't fight me physically, not with your fists, that's right. But you were fighting me in your mind the entire time – you're fighting me now as we're having this unnecessary and stupid talk. I can sense it through our link, Robertus, so stop pretending that you don't. Just go back to sleep and leave me alone, will you?”

Marcus sounded so exhausted and lonely that Robertus felt a lump in his throat. “You didn't knot me,” he said, somehow changing the topic, and Marcus sighed. “No, I didn't knot you. As I said before, I didn't want to hurt you. Do I have to repeat myself again, or can we please stop that now? You could just enjoy my pain silently for once, I'm really not in the state to have such a discussion at the moment. You might not believe it, but taking you while you're lying there like a dead marble statue – enduring me while your loathe for me is so palpable through our bond – is not the big turn on for me you apparently think it to be.”

Robertus drew in a shaky breath. He felt dizzy and sick from all the need and the ache he shared with Marcus because of their strong link, and he could hardly imagine how Marcus must feel. He swallowed when the memory of that day so long ago rushed back into the center of his mind, and he cleared his throat and drew in another deep breath.

“Please come here, Mars, I won't fight against you. Let me help you.”

The strangled sound making its way to his ears tightened his throat, and whatever it actually was that made Marcus eventually struggle onto his feet and stumble over to the bed on wobbly legs – the nickname Robertus had used, or the searing pain raging in Marcus' body – Robertus could never tell. But it didn't matter why Marcus finally accepted his offer, and he wrapped his arms around the younger one when Marcus covered him with his body, his hot skin threatening to burn Robertus' own flesh.

The dark-haired Alpha spread his legs for his mate without thinking, urging him on to take what he was offering. Not willingly – but not fighting against him this time either. Marcus had come before Robertus had gotten his fill when he'd taken him a couple of hours ago, and he had actually not wanted to feel lust and pleasure because of their coupling, hating the mere thought of drawing pleasure out of bottoming for his enemy with all his heart. But the distant ache of his unfulfilled desire was still lingering in the back of his consciousness, making him grow hard quickly when Marcus entered him with a pained groan, his cock pressing needy against Marcus' sweaty abdomen.

The blond legatus had even not forgotten to line himself up and make the intrusion as little painful for his Alpha mate as possible, and to Robertus' surprise it didn't hurt much – now that he had for once finally stopped his fighting and struggling.

Marcus buried his nose on his neck for comfort, right where the fresh mark was still throbbing, his shoulders stiff and tense as he struggled to hold himself back and not lose his self-control and hurt Robertus seriously. He was so hard and big inside Robertus' cramping channel, stretching the dark-haired Alpha to his very limits and filling him until Robertus feared that he would burst the very next second. Marcus seemed to reach right into the deepest parts of his secret core, to be everywhere inside his body and his soul when he started to move with powerful and desperate thrusts.

Robert tried to relax as best as he could - although everything inside him screamed to turn them around and take Marcus like he'd taken him a couple of hours ago - to dominate him and show him what it meant to go against a powerful and proud Alpha's very nature and bottom for another equally strong and stubborn Alpha. But he didn't give in to his urge but stroked Marcus' back in the attempt to calm him down and prove to him that he really wanted to help him. It seemed to work because Marcus slowed down gradually, starting to enjoy their passionate encounter instead of trying to find his release as quickly as possible.

The blond Alpha didn't make any attempt to kiss him like Robertus had thought he would do though, probably not wanting to risk that his unwilling mate would remain passive again and just endure his kiss, and he turned his head and offered his lips to the younger man before he could change his mind again.

Marcus let out a startled and surprised growl, but he claimed Robertus' mouth in an ardent kiss, stroking over his torn bottom lip with the tip of his tongue almost tenderly. Robertus let him in after a tiny moment of hesitation, and this time he returned the kiss with something akin to angry passion.

Marcus let him take the lead for a few precious seconds before he began to fight for dominance again, and the desperate need coming off of him in strong waves made the dark-haired Alpha surrender to the fierce kiss at least partly. His mouth tingled where Marcus stroked and probed it with his clever and agile tongue, and he found himself growling and exploring Marcus' mouth as well, pulling harshly at Marcus' blond hair to deepen their kiss with heated impatience. His hips moved of their own will, pushing hard and angrily against Marcus' slim and yet strong and hard frame, and his cock throbbed against the worked-out abs with every move, growing harder and bigger until Robertus ached with the need to come.

Marcus gasped and shivered above him, and his relentless pummeling shoved Robertus deeper and deeper into the mattress. The large bed made creaking sounds, and their harsh breathing, their low snarls and angry hisses added to the symphony of passion, fury and fight until Robertus' ears were ringing from all the different sounds overwhelming him.

His short nails left scratches on Marcus' back, and the older Alpha wasn't sure whether he wanted to pull him closer or push him off of his body, but the blond went rigid and cried out before he could make up his mind about what he truly wanted, throwing his head back as he shook through his violent climax.

Robertus froze in fear, readying himself for the pain that would come with Marcus' knot swelling inside his far too tight passage that was not built to take another Alpha's knot, but Marcus pulled out of him before his knot was big enough to tie them together. He slumped down on Robertus with a whine, cold sweat coating his shoulders and his body as he fought against his need to knot his mate and the sharp ache that captured his body when his knot swelled without meeting the resistance of tender silken and wet walks enclosing and stimulating it.

Robertus murmured unintelligible words into his ears and tilted his head to the side to let Marcus suckle at his bite mark, squeezing his thighs together around Marcus' pulsing cock right where his thick knot was still growing, and the younger one stifled a grateful sob and licked over the red mark to soothe himself.

They lay like this for a while, and Robertus listened to Marcus' slowly calming breathing, his mind blank and his body aching with his own painful desire to find release. Marcus' cock was still spurting weakly now and then, his hot seed coating the inner sides of Robertus' thighs, but the older one felt much less disgusted than he'd thought that he would feel.

“I'm sorry, I tried to control it, but I couldn't,” Marcus murmured, exhaustion making his voice sound husky and shallow.

“You're an Alpha in rut sleeping with your mate, of course you couldn't control your knot, Marcus. That's nothing I would ever hold against you,” Robertus said, and Marcus lifted his head from his shoulder to look down at him. The deep red color of his eyes had faded a little bit, and his skin was cooler, his sweat penetrating Robertus' nose with its sharp and musky smell. The dark-haired legatus felt sticky where their bodies touched, but he didn't make an attempt to move away or shake Marcus off, just stared up at him with thoughtful eyes.

Marcus sighed and shifted his weight to find a more comfortable position, but his knot hadn't faded so far, and Robertus pressed his legs together to keep it trapped until it would subside. Marcus kissed him on his lips with a soft sigh and snaked his hand between their connected bodies to enclose his shaft with his fingers. Robertus hadn't thought that Marcus would see to his need, and one part of him screamed that this wasn't right, that he wasn't supposed to feel pleasure and arousal after having been used for a second time in this horrible night. It didn't matter that he had asked Marcus to use him, Tiberius had left him no other choice when he'd forced him into this arranged mating by claiming that it was the will of the Gods that Robertus would deny his true nature and submit to another Alpha in the future – to an Alpha who hated and despised him.

Nothing could ever undo the hurt and humiliation Tiberius and Marcus had done to him, but the warm and clever fingers stroking him with real gentleness now felt too good around his aching cock to push them away, and Robertus consoled himself with the thought that he more than deserved to find his own release after all the pain he'd had to suffer because of his forced mating with Marcus.

He could feel Marcus' eyes upon his face, the younger Alpha was watching him attentively, but Robertus refused to open his eyes and look at him, and Marcus didn't demand that his surrender but stroked him silently without ordering him to watch him in return to make sure that Robertus knew who was caressing him.

Robertus could never mistake the strong Alpha Marcus actually was for the kind and gentle Omega Thomas he'd fallen in love with right at first sight, they were so different from each other like day and night, sun and moon, and Robertus hated himself that he allowed Marcus to caress him like that, but he was too weak to refrain from his need for release.

Marcus knew how to pleasure another man with his long and elegant fingers, how to drive him crazy with desire, and Robertus was too worked up to hold back for much longer and let his ecstasy wash over him and take him away with its force, spilling hard and wet over Marcus' hand when the tension in his groin became too much to bear and his orgasm overtook him almost out of the blue. Stars exploded before his eyes, and Robertus gritted his teeth to keep his cry of satisfaction inside and not show his feelings to the other man.

His mate growled and kissed him hard and angrily while he shivered and shuddered through the painfully intense waves of his forceful release, and Robertus groaned deeply humiliated when his knot swelled in Marcus' hand, more spurts following the first ones, running over his twitching shaft with the thick knot and Marcus' bare arm. His seed dropped down onto his own abdomen, and Robertus tore his mouth away from Marcus' lips and turned his head away in shame and embarrassment.

Marcus didn't say anything, and he held Robertus' cock in a firm grip until his knot became thinner again after what felt like a little eternity. Marcus' knot had subsided in the meantime as well, and he got up from the bed after a moment or two, walking over to the bathroom that belonged to the quarters. Robertus remained still with his eyes closed when the younger man sat down on the bed to clean him up, gently wiping the now dried seed from Robertus' tender thighs.

Robertus didn't object when Marcus laid down beside him again and pulled him close to his chest, and he fell asleep curled up to a small ball for a second time this night, the memories from twenty years ago – when the small boy Marcus had cried so hard under the bush in his arms – following him in his restless dreams.

 

***

 

Marcus was already up and the sun was shining through the small windows when Robertus woke up again, feeling sore and tired down to his bones. He didn't remember much of his dreams, but they had haunted him pretty badly, and all he wanted to do was going back to sleep and forget everything that had happened.

His mate emerged from the bathroom when he had just struggled into a sitting position, dressed in a white toga over a yellow-golden tunic. Robertus was reminded of the beautiful king of the animals again, and he felt the slightest tingling of desire deep in his belly, but he suppressed it vigorously, not wanting to see anything else other than his sworn enemy in his former childhood friend.

The emotions that reached him through their bond were calm and carefully controlled, and Marcus' eyes were back to their usual beautiful amber-green color, so his rut must already be over. It was surprising that it had lasted only one night, but everything about their arranged marriage was unusual and strange, so Robertus shouldn't be surprised about the shortness of Marcus' rut too much.

The younger Alpha put his hands on his hips as he regarded him thoughtfully for some time.

“Good morning, Robertus. I hope that you slept well. You should try to drink and eat something, you look as if you needed to get some liquid and nutrients back into your system,” he said at last, and Robertus almost regretted it that the short moment of understanding and truce between them was over. But he wouldn't beg Marcus for some kind words or even a kiss, and he lifted his chin up in defiance and snorted mockingly.

“So worried about my well-being all of a sudden, _Alpha_? Where were your concern and worries yesterday when you raped me?”

A tiny muscle twitched in Marcus' jaw. “It was you asking me to come to you when I was trying to be considerate of you and wanted to stay away and help myself.”

“You could have said no,” Robertus snapped, but he knew that he was unfair. Marcus' face went blank, but Robertus could feel his hurt, and he lowered his gaze down for a moment. He had offered him to help him through his rut, even using his former nickname Mars to make Marcus take him up on his offer, and it wasn't right to hold it against him now.

“I'll be away for a couple of hours. Try to get some rest and have something to eat, Robertus.” Marcus made an attempt to turn around and walk over to the door, but Robertus' voice stopped him again.

“Don't you want to chain me to make sure that I'll still be there when you come back again, my _mate_?”

The blond legatus looked down at him with an unreadable expression on his handsome features.

“No. You being naked because you're not permitted to wear clothes until I'll tell you otherwise will be enough to keep you in these quarters, waiting for my return. Besides, you're my Omega, not my slave, Robertus. So why would I want to chain you?”

Robertus chuckled mockingly. “Oh, really? I didn't think that there would actually be any difference between being your slave and being your Omega, Marcus.”

Marcus bared his teeth to a smug grin, folding his arms across his chest and raising one of his eyebrows at him, and Robertus truly hated him with every fiber of his being in this moment.

“But there _is_ a big difference between being my slave and being my Omega, my dear Robertus, believe me. My slaves don't have to be naked when they serve me, and they also don't have to spread their legs for me like you were doing it so nicely for me last night.”

Marcus threw a mocking kiss through the air and gifted him with a sugary smile before he turned around without any other word and left the room without even one glance back, leaving a very naked and very furious Robertus behind.


	4. Naked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robertus and Marcus are struggling their way through the first day after their mating night...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My dear friends,
> 
> this chapter is more a filler chapter without happening much, but I hope that you will like it nonetheless. <33

Robertus had tried to go back to sleep when Marcus had left him, but he felt too furious about Marcus' mocking words to find the peace of mind and the quiet he would have needed to do that.

Eventually he gave up and got up to wash his face and his hands and to relieve himself, staring at the torn pieces of his tunic Marcus had left lying on the floor – probably as a reminder of the power he now held over him.

Not that Robertus needed such a reminder of his changed state and the loss of his virginity and of all his foolish dreams and hopes. He couldn't think about anything else other than that Marcus possessed him now, even not if he tried very hard to distract himself, and his fury became stronger and stronger with every minute that passed. He felt vulnerable and humiliated having to stay naked for the entire day in more than only the physical way, and the small windows didn't let enough sunlight in to warm up the room thoroughly.

The walls of Tiberius' palace were thick enough to keep the unbearable summer heat outside, but Robertus felt cold from the inside and started to freeze badly after some time had passed. He was too angry to eat anything, and he only sipped from the light wine that was cut with water to quench his thirst.

His bond with Marcus was still active, of course it was – even stronger than it had been before Marcus had claimed him and filled him with his seed – but the younger Alpha had withdrawn into the farthest corner of Robertus' consciousness, and the dark-haired Roman got only a vague impression of the other man's state. Marcus seemed to be well as far as Robertus could tell, but he kept his emotions to himself, most likely to have some privacy and not let his hated Omega know what he was doing, and this angered Robertus more than it should actually do. He should be grateful to be left alone and that he was able to keep his own emotions to himself as well, but he felt lonely and bereft of something precious instead, and this fueled his anger even more and left him restless and incapable of calming down.

Robertus was a trained soldier, and he had normally a good sense for time, but he seemed to have lost it due to the horrible events of the last day and night, and he jumped up from the recliner where he had sat down some time ago when the door to his luxurious prison suddenly opened and someone emerged on the threshold.

The dark-haired Alpha instinctively covered his private parts with his hands to keep the last shreds of his dignity together, and he almost sobbed with relief and gratitude when he saw Rufus' red hair and his warm smile. Having his personal slave around - who was more like an older brother to him than just a slave - was more than he had thought that he would be granted the day right after Marcus had raped and abused him in the name of Jupiter and all the other Gods.

“Rufus!” Robertus croaked out, and the Celt closed the door behind himself with a firm thud and crossed the room with fast steps to take his Dominus by his shoulders. Robertus was aware that most proud Roman Alphas would never have allowed that one of their slaves – a Beta – behaved that way, but he was too grateful to see his confidant to care about his damn Roman pride. Marcus had taken away from him much more than only his pride, and he balled his fists against Rufus' chest and buried his face in the light green linen of Rufus' tunic as he tried to regain his self-control.

“Dominus,” Rufus said calmly, “please don't fret, I'm here now.”

“I'm not your Dominus anymore. I'm nothing, unworthy and bereft of everything that has ever mattered to me!” Robertus sobbed against his shoulder, and Rufus gently wrapped his left arm around his trembling back and carded the fingers of his right hand through Robertus' tousled black hair.

“Of course you still are my Dominus, Robertus. You will always be my Dominus. Nothing will ever change the way I feel about you. And you're for sure still the proud, honorable and brave Roman Alpha you've always been, Legatus Robertus Levantus. But my heart is aching to see you so upset, so please let me help you getting more comfortable, my Dominus,” the older man murmured into his ear, and Robertus relaxed gratefully and let Rufus guide him back to the recliner.

“I'm not allowed to dress. I'm a prisoner and I can't leave these rooms without permission,” he murmured, and Rufus stroked over his arm to soothe him. “Yes, I know, Dominus. Your mate told me about his order that you shall not dress when he asked me to serve you and keep you company while he's away. He didn't tell me why he did that, but it seemed to be important to him that I would see to your well-being during his absence.”

Robertus blinked in surprise. He hadn't expected that Marcus would be so considerate to send his personal slave to him, he'd somehow thought that Tiberius had shown some mercy with him and called for Rufus to make sure that Robertus would behave properly and not cause some trouble that would backfire on Tiberius himself.

Rufus was three years older than he was, but the former Celtic prince had played with him and Marcus when they had been children, and Marcus must know that Rufus was the one person Robertus told everything. Almost everything. There were a few things nobody knew, some things Robertus had never told anybody, but Rufus actually knew him inside out and surely sensed and guessed those secrets his Dominus was hiding from him.

“Marcus called for me before he left the palace, and he looked upset and worried,” Rufus informed him, and Robertus felt something akin to grim satisfaction that his mate wasn't as happy and smug as he should actually be after their mating night. He didn't care about the reasons for Marcus' worries and anger though, and he lay down on the recliner only reluctantly.

“I'm not hungry,” he objected when Rufus knelt down beside the table to offer him one of the plates with fruits, cheese and bread.

“I can imagine, Dominus, but you must eat something. You'll need all of your strength over the next days.”

“I don't care about my well-being,” Robertus protested stubbornly, “without Thomas – nothing really matters any longer to me.”

“I didn't think that you were one of those people giving up hope so easily, Dominus,” Rufus said with a light frown creasing his forehead, and Robertus blushed and stared down at the plate in Rufus' hand. The red-haired Celt had sat down on his heels, looking expectantly at him and lifting the plate up to make Robertus eat.

“How shall I go on like this, Rufus?” Robertus whispered close to tears, his despair and fear crashing down on him. “How shall I live denying my true nature and submitting to my worst enemy? How shall I live with the knowledge that Thomas returns my love but can never be mine? Can you tell me that, Rufus?”

“Time will help you seeing things clearer, my Dominus. Besides, your worst enemy is not the one you think that he is,” Rufus gave back rather ominously after a short moment of silence, holding Robertus' gaze without blinking.

“Of course Marcus is my worst enemy!” the dark-haired Alpha growled, and Rufus pursed his lips and let out a sigh. “Are you sure, Dominus? Because to me it looks as if you were your own worst enemy sometimes. Now eat, you need your strength.”

Robertus gritted his teeth but he reached out for the plate and took one of the juicy peaches to taste it. The sweetness reminded him of Thomas' wonderful sweet scent, and he felt new tears sting in his eyes, but he blinked them away and focused on his food, not willing to cry in front of Rufus after what the other man had said. “There is still hope left, Dominus. Please don't give up your hope that things will change for the better again,” Rufus consoled him when he saw one single tear rolling down on Robertus' cold cheek, and the dark-haired legatus offered him a shaky smile and nodded slowly, wishing that he would be able to taste Thomas, the Omega he loved so much, instead of the sweet peach so badly that it was a physical ache in his chest.

 

***

 

Rufus had prepared a warm bath for Robertus after his late breakfast, but he felt still cold and dirty after his long bath, and the chills wrecking his body became worse over the next hours until Robertus' teeth were clattering against each other and he was shaking and trembling violently.

“Let me warm you, Dominus, please don't be so stubborn and let me warm you,” Rufus begged him desperately, but Robertus shook his head. “No.”

“Then let me wrap a blanket around you at least,” the Celt offered exasperatedly, but Robertus shook his head again. “No. My mate ordered me to stay naked, and I will obey him like the good Omega I'm supposed to be now.”

“Legatus Retus surely didn't mean that you shall freeze yourself to death!” Rufus objected disbelievingly, but Robertus' jaw was set in the determined line his personal slave had come to know all too well over the years.

“No. Please leave me now, Rufus, I want to be alone for a while.”

Rufus hesitated, and Robertus almost felt amused when he noticed the expression of fear and deep worry on his face. “I don't intend to harm myself, my friend. I just want to be alone for a few minutes. It's getting dark soon, I'm sure that my mate will come back to me soon enough, and I could really do with some quiet before I have to face him again.”

“As you wish, Dominus.” Rufus walked over to the door, pausing there to look back at Robertus, who had crouched down before the bed with his knees pulled to his chest.

“Shall I bring Counselor Mullericus a message from you?” he wanted to know, and Robertus swallowed hard.

“No, my friend. There is nothing left to say. I shall pray that he will find his true love one day, his rightful and true Alpha mate he can be happy with.”

Rufus opened his mouth and closed it again, his shoulders slumping a bit when he sighed. “He already has, Dominus, he already has – in you. But your Gods have decided that you're not allowed to be together.”

Robertus smiled sadly at his confidant. “That they have, my friend,” he whispered, wrapping his arms around his knees and burying his face in them when Rufus closed the door to leave him.

This was how Marcus found him an hour later when the sun had finally set and the early night was throwing its dark shadows over Robertus' naked figure.

 

***

 

Marcus was not in a good mood when he entered their quarters in Tiberius' palace hours after he'd left Robertus again. He had gone to see Tiberius for a private audience in the morning, but their talk hadn't gone the way he'd hoped that it would do, and Marcus had needed a few hours to calm down again afterwards, spending the rest of the morning with a long walk through the streets of Rome.

The proud city had once been his beloved home, but Rome wasn't his real home any longer, hadn't been ever since his father had left Rome for the last time to go back to the wild northern part of the Empire and never come back. Marcus had spent most of his life in Germania, and he loved the wild and dangerous country that was of a breathtaking beauty if one only allowed themselves to see it.

The Teutons were not all lethal enemies to the Roman Empire, especially those Teutons who lived near the Roman fortress Mogontiacum where Marcus had succeeded his father as its new military commander after his death.

The Mattiacer were a large Teuton tribe, and they hadn't taken an active part in Arminius' uprising against Rome but stood faithfully by Emperor Augustus' side more than ten years ago. Some of their own brethren hated them now, but Chief Albin had been one of Thomas Retus' best friends as long as his Roman ally had lived, and he was a fatherly friend to Marcus now as well.

Marcus loathed the burning sun and the dust and the dirt covering the streets of the Roman Empire's pulsing heart Rome, and he hated the falsehood and the rivalry that had spread out among the senate and the most important noble Roman families. Friends had become enemies, and Marcus longed for the cool breeze and the thick forests of his new home so badly that he felt like choking ever since he had set foot in the City of Rome again.

After his long walk, he had returned to his villa to prepare everything for Robertus' arrival in his new home. Robertus was still the patriarch of his own family and their properties, but he would have to stay with Marcus in his villa until things had settled down again and Robertus had accepted his new role and place as Marcus' Omega.

Which would most likely never happen, Marcus thought with a bitter snort when he pushed the door open that led to their temporary rooms in Tiberius' palace. Robertus hated him with all he had, and this would never change. He might have called him Mars last night and offered him his help during the long and painful hours of Marcus' rut, but that didn't mean that Robertus had started to hate him any less and think of him as his true mate.

The feelings Marcus had received through their bond had been as carefully controlled as his own feelings had been restrained and controlled throughout the entire day, and Marcus didn't know what would await him behind the door when he came back to his furious Alpha-Omega. Maybe Robertus would attack him right away, beat him and snarl into his face, maybe he would ignore him and pretend that Marcus wasn't there at all, the blond Alpha couldn't be sure.

What he was sure about was that Robertus was not the beloved mate Marcus had hoped to get, and he was surely not the willing and obedient Omega every Alpha usually wished for.

Marcus wasn't even sure whether or not he wanted Robertus to be willing and obedient – or if he actually liked the snarling adversary his once oh so beloved friend had become much better. The sunny day when his childhood friend had told him that he'd rather be an Omega for Marcus than become a consul like his father was long gone, and Marcus didn't think that Robertus remembered the promise he'd once given him. That he had called him Mars didn't mean that he felt still bound to his promise, and Marcus was still deeply hurt that Robertus despised him for their forced mating because he was just a victim of the circumstances like Robertus was.

Marcus hadn't had any choice in that matter – just like Robertus himself – Tiberius had taken it away from them when he had insisted that the oath of his deceased father and predecessor had to be fulfilled. But Robertus refused to see that Marcus was a prisoner like he was, that he might have been forced to leave someone behind and break their heart just as much as Robertus had broken Thomas Mullericus' heart last night.

The room was dark and cold when he entered it, and Marcus stopped in the doorway to adapt to the darkness. No one attacked him out of the shadows, and the blond Alpha needed a moment until he recognized the slumped figure crouching before the bed. Violent chills were wrecking Robertus, and Marcus suppressed a heartfelt curse as he rushed to the bed to kneel down beside his shivering mate. He shivered himself when the connection between them became stronger due to their closeness, and Marcus wrapped his arms around the older Alpha to warm him without thinking.

“Robertus!” he exclaimed in a mixture of anger and dismay, “what are you doing here on the floor?”

“What does it look like to you, Marcus?” his unwilling mate repeated his words from last night mockingly, but the irony in his voice couldn't cover the miserable and defeated tone underneath completely. Robertus sounded hoarse and exhausted, and Marcus pulled him close to his own warm body and rocked him.

“Where is Rufus? I told him to spend the day with you until my return,” Marcus asked, angry that the Celt hadn't obeyed his order. Marcus was Robertus' Alpha mate now, and he was entitled to treat Rufus as if he was his own slave.

“He did, but I sent him away an hour ago. I wanted to be alone,” Robertus ground out through gritted teeth. The chills were finally calming down a bit, but his naked body was still freezing cold, and for a split second Marcus hated himself for what he had done to his mate.

“I see. Why didn't you take the blanket to stay warm?” he wanted to know, even though he of course knew the answer to his stupid question.

“I'm supposed to be your servile Omega, am I not? Your Omega is not allowed to wear clothes until you'll tell me otherwise. Your rut seems to have affected your memory, my mate. But it will surely come back the minute I'll spread my legs for you again, and your 'lovemaking' will certainly chase the cold away.” Robertus snapped, but without much emphasis, and his voice trembled ever so slightly.

Marcus closed his eyes and wished that Robertus' words wouldn't hurt as much as they actually did.

“Are you hungry, Robertus?” he only asked quietly, and Robertus shook his head. Marcus had expected him to fight against their closeness, but the older Alpha leaned heavily against him instead, and he unconsciously pushed his nose against Marcus' neck and sniffed at his deep red mark to soothe himself.

“No, I'm not.” he mumbled, and Marcus stroked his hair and pressed a kiss onto his temples. “Shall we go to bed then, my mate?”

“Yes, of course, you can hardly wait to rape me again,” Robertus sighed, but he let Marcus pull him onto his feet and to the bed, lying down beside him without objection. He flinched when Marcus undressed his toga and his sandals, staring at him with dark blue eyes and fear written all over his face. Marcus cupped his cold cheeks with his hands and returned his gaze openly. “I won't take you tonight, Robertus. You must be sore, and you need to recover from last night.”

“How considerate of you!” Robertus growled, but he moved closer to Marcus' warm body when the younger man lay down beside him, dressed only with his short tunic and his loincloth. “I am considerate of you, my Omega.” Marcus was tired of fighting and being accused of things he couldn't change, and he drew back from their bond as much as he was able to do in order not to show Robertus how hurt and confused he felt.

“Yes, you probably think that you are, Alpha,” Robertus mused, sounding more thoughtful than defiant for once, and Marcus covered both of them with the blanket and wrapped his arms tightly around him to let his own body heat seep through Robertus' cold skin and their bond to keep him warm and safe.

“Sleep well, my mate,” he murmured as he relaxed gratefully to slip into the slumber of exhaustion, and Robertus sighed and snuggled close to him, too tired to fight against him any longer, accepting Marcus' silent offer for another short truce with a small sigh.

“Sleep well, Marcus,” was the last thing the blond Alpha heard before sleep claimed him, Robertus' reproachful blue gaze still visible even through his closed eyelids.


	5. Some Kind of Routine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marcus and Robertus try to establish some kind of routine when they move to Marcus' villa, but things turn out to become worse after an evening they have spent together with Matteus as their guest...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My dear friends, I fear that we are still not out of the woods, please bear with me and our boys!
> 
> One of the songs I listened to while writing the last part of this chapter is _My name is not Susan_ from Whitney Houston, I find it very fitting for their situation... ;-P

This time Marcus was still lying beside him sound asleep when Robertus woke up, and he slowly stirred back to consciousness when the emotions Robertus was sending through their bond reached him in his dreams.

Robertus regarded the younger man thoughtfully, and he took control of the river of his feelings when Marcus finally opened his eyes after some minutes had passed, amber-green orbs still clouded with sleep looking at him. “Good morning, my mate,” he said after a moment of silence between them, and Robertus couldn't help but flinch at the word 'mate'.

Thomas was the only one he wanted as his mate, but the Gods had found a way to make him keep the foolish promise he'd once given to Marcus when he'd been just a small boy, craving to console his desperate friend without truly comprehending what his promise actually meant and what it implied for the future.

“Good morning, Marcus.” He wasn't willing to forgive the younger Alpha for what he had done to him just like that, and he moved away from Marcus' warm body as far as he could without falling from the bed to bring enough physical distance between them. He couldn't escape from their bond, never again, but he could show Marcus that he hadn't given up his hopes that he would be able to break their bond one day.

Marcus' soft expression became hard when he sensed Robertus' defiant thoughts, and the gentle flow of sleepy contentment was cut from him abruptly, pulling a suppressed whimper from the dark-haired legatus against his will. “So you still want us to fight, very well. So be it then.” Marcus got up from the bed with the elegance of a sleek predator, and Robertus felt a spark of desire flashing in his stomach for a split second. The blond Alpha turned his head to look down at him with an unreadable expression on his handsome features, but he didn't comment on Robertus' inappropriate reaction, just bent down to take his crumpled toga from the floor.

“I'll send Rufus to you, we will move to my villa today.”

“Why not to my house?” It was stupid to provoke Marcus like that, but Robertus' defiance made him do stupid things all of the time when it came to his mate.

“Because I am the Alpha and you are my Omega mate.” Marcus put the toga on with practiced movements, walking over to the door without looking back.

“Do you expect me to walk through Rome naked, my _mate_?” Robertus threw after him, but the blond Alpha just snorted as he pushed the door handle down. “You can truly be silly sometimes, my sweet Omega. The sight of your beautiful body in all its naked glory is reserved for me only, and nothing good would come out of our emperor's military adviser walking through Rome naked, would it? Do I have to worry about your reason and sanity that you're asking me such questions, my dear Legatus Levantus?”

“No, you don't.” Robertus gritted his teeth, and Marcus nodded contentedly. “I'm glad to hear that. I'll pick you up when you're presentable again. You look a little bit disheveled.”

The door closed behind Marcus before Robertus had the chance to snarl back at him, and the older Alpha stared at the dark wood feeling furious and frustrated that Marcus had had the last word again – leaving him wondering what would happen in his villa with fear pooling in his stomach and the love for another man tearing his heart apart.

 

***

 

The move from Tiberius' palace to Marcus' beautiful villa went surprisingly smoothly and without any further delay or incidents, and Robertus almost cried when his mate allowed Rufus to stay with him and keep on serving him, because he hadn't expected that he would be granted this small mercy to make the huge changes in his life more bearable.

He knew that Marcus was only doing that to make him feel indebted to him, but Robertus didn't care about that, all he cared about was that the kind and gentle Beta who knew him better than anybody else in this world would be there as his tower of strength and his shoulder to cry on when he would need him.

“You're still not allowed to wear clothes until you've learned your place, my defiant Omega,” Marcus instructed him when they had settled in and finished a light meal as their lunch. Marcus' slaves and servants were quiet and unobtrusive, and it was clear to see that they adored their Dominus with all their hearts and wouldn't take Robertus' side in any way – if he were foolish enough to try to win them as his allies and accomplices. But at least they treated Robertus with the respect he deserved, not giving him the feeling that he was less worthy than their adored master.

“These are my private rooms, and I have informed my servants that they are not allowed to enter them for the time being. Rufus will be the only one permitted to enter our quarters except for me for the next couple of days because of your temporary nudity and my wish to have you for myself for a while.”

Robertus crossed his arms before his chest. “So you'll expect my personal slave to clean your rooms? Rufus is not this kind of servant, you know?” he asked angrily, and Marcus raised one of his elegant blond eyebrows at him. “I didn't think that he is – even though I'm certain that he was the one seeing to your private rooms so far, Rufus doesn't look to me like someone who would allow other servants to stick their curious noses into your private belongings and stuff. And they are our rooms now, my mate. Besides, my servants have cleaned them thoroughly before our arrival yesterday, and they won't need any other cleaning over the next three or four days – except for the perhaps not so unlikely case that you'll intend to make a mess of them and have Rufus clean it up again of course. Or would you prefer to do that yourself to spare your friend, Robertus?”

Robertus resorted himself to just scowl darkly at the younger man instead of answering to the new offense Marcus had found to insult him and make him feel like a silly boy. “I hate you!” he spat out, and Marcus shook his head with a sigh like a teacher would do with a stupid and unruly student.

“You're repeating yourself, Robertus. Tell me something new, it's getting boring. It's not that I'm burning with undying love for you either.”

Robertus balled his fists and growled, stepping forward to attack the other man in his red fury. Marcus caught his wrists before Robertus could beat him though, and his eyes were shining golden with the fire of his own wrath and hatred.

“You'll better think twice the next time before you try to attack me again, Robertus Levantus. I'm running out of patience at last! It wasn't my father betraying yours, but the other way around. It wasn't my father being a coward and refusing to do the right thing, you should better remember that. You owe me much more than I owe you!”

Robertus' blue eyes were almost black with hurt and anger. “My father saved your father's life with what he did! He would have died and caused the death of more Romans if my father had let him do what he wanted to do as the big fool your father was! He didn't even care about you and that you would grow up as an orphan if he had been able to carry out his plans – all he cared about was his damn revenge! You tell me something about debts, Marcus! You are the one being indebted to my father because he made sure that you were able to grow up with your father still alive!”

“He wouldn't have died but succeeded if your cowardly father had helped him! He knew Arminius better than anyone after all!” Marcus spat out, and Robertus flinched violently when he remembered the times when the damn Cheruscan Arminius had visited their villa and played with Marcus and him, a fascinating and cheerful young man who had been their secret hero back then. Arminius had looked like a Roman and talked like a true Roman, but deep in his traitorous heart and soul he'd still been Hermann the Teuton, not hesitating to slaughter his former allies and friends in the cruelest way possible when he'd gotten the first chance to do so.

“Yes, and that's why he didn't let your father carry out his stupid plans – because he knew what would happen if he helped him – because he knew Arminius better than anyone!”

“I won't listen to your lies any longer!” Marcus pushed Robertus backwards, heading for the door. “You are my Omega now, my mate, and you will do as I tell you to do without objection, understood? Your lies won't change my mind and my feelings about you, and I will punish you if you ever dare to talk to me like that again, Omega!”

Robertus watched him leave with red ire clouding his mind and deep despair in his heart, curling himself up on the bed when he was alone to cry silent tears about what he had lost and about the horrors his future life at Marcus' side would bring.

 

***

 

Marcus avoided spending time with Robertus as best as he was able to do over the next two days, even though he knew that he was acting like a coward and neglecting his duties towards his mate. He could sense Robertus' grief and despair through their bond even when he was at the other side of the huge city, and he was grateful that Tiberius had given them some time to arrange themselves in their forced marriage without asking for Robertus' services as his adviser.

Rufus informed him about Robertus' state when he came home late in the evenings, his face calm and his voice quiet, not letting show what he was thinking about Marcus' demeanor, and Marcus waited with joining his defiant mate in his private rooms until he could be sure that the older man was already sleeping. A small library belonged to Marcus' private rooms as well as a secluded garden, both giving Robertus the opportunity to busy himself with something useful and move his legs a little bit as long as he had to stay naked.

Robertus was still awake when Marcus entered their bedroom on the third evening though, watching him silently when Marcus undressed his clothes. He didn't object when Marcus pulled him in his arms and kissed him, remaining passive and motionless during the whole mating, his face a mask of silent grief.

Marcus' release was short and unsatisfying, and he didn't try to pleasure Robertus afterwards, but simply wrapped his arms around him to keep him close while they slept.

Their talks were polite and stiff, reduced to the absolutely necessary things, and Robertus' vacant eyes and his pale face followed Marcus into his nightmares every single night.

Things changed slightly between them when Tiberius told Marcus that he would need Robertus' services as his military counselor in the future again, and he didn't tell Robertus to undress when the older man returned to his villa in the late afternoon, but invited him for a walk through their house and the beautiful gardens instead to show him his new home and explain everything to him. Robertus listened attentively, and his shoulders were straight and not slumped any longer as some of his spirits returned to him. He didn't tell Marcus much about his duties and whether or not he met Thomas during the sessions of the senate, and Marcus knew better than to ask him and risk damaging the pretty fragile temporary peace between them.

Marcus' own days were filled with training and supervising the new legionaries that were chosen to join Rome's legions in Germania, and he decided to invite Matteus for dinner a week after their marriage in the temple.

Matteus had once been one of his closest friends, and even if they weren't friends any longer, but Robertus considered the other dark-haired Alpha a friend, and Marcus wanted to prove his good will to his reluctant mate and not give him the feeling that he was a prisoner in his new home but allowed to have a social life at least partly.

The sight of Robertus' pale cheeks coloring rosy with real joy and gratitude was worth having to endure an entire evening in Matteus' company, and his mate didn't object when Marcus stepped to him to arrange the creases of his blue toga over the red tunic in the right way. The burgundy red tunic made Robertus' hair shimmer like the wings of a black raven, and the rich blue color of the toga matched perfectly with Robertus' cerulean eyes. He was a magnificent sight, and Marcus' heart beat faster with desire and longing, his emotions rushing through their bond before he could stop them and hide them from his beautiful mate.

Robertus gave him a shy and thoughtful look. “Is it not too gaudy?” he asked, and Marcus smiled and cupped Robertus' cool cheek with his left hand to caress his bottom lip with his thumb. “It's perfect – you are perfect, Robertus. You look stunning tonight.”

“Better than I looked naked to you?” the dark-haired Alpha retorted, but he didn't sound accusingly or bitterly for once, but teasingly and playfully. Marcus chuckled, pressing a chaste kiss onto his lips. “Don't challenge me, my mate. I might change my mind about the dinner and start with the dessert right away,” he gave back, and Robertus growled but couldn't hide his smug grin entirely.

“I deserve this dinner!” he objected, and Marcus smiled briefly and kissed him again. “That you do. I'm still marveling how you taught Publius Secundus and Flavius Gardiolus a lesson about military strategies today.” Marcus had gone to the senate with him for the first time earlier this morning, and Robertus blushed at his praise.

“Hmm, thank you. I'd rather fight against a horde of wild barbarians than having to endure another hour among all those minions and snakes. They're sitting on shining marble with their plump asses without thinking of the legionaries who lie in the dirt and the mud and risk their lives for them to make sure that they can celebrate their orgies and enjoy the games and the fights in the arena.”

“The same here, my mate. I was never good at being a diplomat, I'm a much better soldier,” Marcus agreed, and for the blink of an eye, Robertus gifted him with a real and genuine smile before he remembered who he was talking to and stepped back again, the short and precious moment of understanding between them gone again. “I've heard otherwise, Marcus. I was told that you achieved a lasting peace treaty with the Mattiacers living close to Mogontiacum, something others tried to do without succeeding,” he said, but he kept his emotions at bay, and it was clear that his words had aroused some painful memories in him both of them would like to forget.

Marcus cleared his throat and let his hand drop down at his side again. “Matteus should arrive at any minute, we shouldn't let him wait.” Robertus nodded quietly, following him to the large hall where Marcus welcomed his guests when he was in Rome.

The younger Alpha could only hope that their new truce would last longer than the first two truces had lasted, hope was the last thing to die after all.

 

***

 

Robertus had seen Matteus several times since that fateful night in the temple, but he had still been worrying that his friend would behave differently - now that Robertus was mated to Marcus and forced to twist his true nature for the sake of an oath two other men had sworn ten years ago.

But the other Alpha just smiled at him and treated him as if nothing had changed between them, with respect and real friendship and care. Marcus was the perfect host, polite, attentive and generous, and his cook served all of the favorite dishes Robertus had loved as a child and mostly still liked best, together with those dishes Matteus favored.

They talked about the senate and the discussions taking place there, about horses, music, the games in the arena and their favorite books and authors, but they avoided dangerous topics like the political situation in Germania or Robertus' former post in Syria, and Robertus was aware that Marcus and Matteus did that for his sake. He enjoyed their evening much more than he probably should, finally feeling like a true Roman citizen and Alpha for the first time again since he'd learned that he had to become Marcus Retus' Omega mate.

“How is Marius?” Matteus asked when the plates were empty and the delicious red wine Marcus served had warmed Robertus enough from the inside to help him feel calm and almost peaceful at last, and he tensed up again when the heard the name of another one of their childhood friends.

“He was fine when I left Mogontiacum, thank you,” Marcus said, and the strong rush of emotions coming through their bond told Robertus that the younger Alpha didn't want to be reminded of the place that had become his new home over the years while he had to stay in Rome. “My men have accepted him as my second-in-command without objection, and he will lead my legions with wisdom and care as long as I can't do that myself.”

Matteus' eyes darted back and forth between Marcus and Robertus. “I'm sure that he's a worthy second-in-command. Marius was always the born soldier.” His unspoken words that Robertus would have to follow Marcus to Germania when he went back to Mogontiacum hanging heavily in the air between them. Robertus was of higher rank than Marius, and there was actually no real place for him in Mogontiacum at Marcus' side, but this was a problem Tiberius actually had to solve, not one of them.

“It's late, I should leave you alone now.” Matteus rose to his feet when Marcus and Robertus remained silent, and Robertus wanted to scream and shout and ask him to stay, but he kept his mouth firmly shut, refusing to meet Marcus' intense glance.

“Thank you for visiting us, my friend,” was all he could say when they stood in the large entrance hall, and Matteus shot Marcus another quick sidelong glance before pulling Robertus into his arms for a brief hug. “Thank you for your invitation, Robertus. I really missed you when you were in Syria,” he gave back, hesitating before embracing Marcus as well. “And you, Marcus. Germania is so far away.”

Robertus' shared Marcus' emotion and surprise when the blond hugged Matteus back. “Thank you, Matteus. I missed you too, all of you. Take care of yourself, Rome is a dangerous place at night.”

Matteus chuckled. “Not only by night, believe me, Marcus. I have my personal guards waiting for me, don't worry. I'm not foolish enough to wander around alone, even not as one Tiberius' personal and well-trained guards.”

“We'll see you soon again, my friend,” Marcus bid Matteus his farewell, turning around to look at Robertus when they were alone in the large foyer.

“Did you enjoy yourself, Robertus?” he asked quietly, and Robertus swallowed and unconsciously moved closer to the younger Alpha. “Yes, I did, thank you.”

“That's good. Do you want to take a walk in the park or go to bed straight away?” Marcus was offering a new truce, but Robertus felt too confused to accept it. “I'm tired, I'd like to go to bed now.”

“I see. Go back to our rooms then, I shall join you there soon.” Marcus turned away from him, cutting Robertus from his emotions once more, and Robertus made his way back to Marcus' rooms that were his own rooms as well – even if they still felt more like a luxurious prison than like home to him.

 

***

 

Robertus was so used to sleeping naked after having been naked for an entire week, that he didn't waste a single thought at keeping his tunic or his loincloth on when he undressed and rushed through a quick bedtime routine, thinking of what would await him tonight. Marcus had taken him two or three times since they had moved to his villa, never being harsh or cruel, but not really being tender either. Robertus had endured their intimacy without fighting against him, and their mating bond made it impossible for him to imagine that it was Thomas making love to him. Marcus' musky and earthy Alpha scent, not unpleasant or unwelcome - but so different from Thomas natural sweetness - covered Robertus like a blanket, making clear whom he belonged to now, and Marcus' Alpha cock was too big not to cause Robertus slight pain when he took him, even with oil and preparation.

He even felt arousal now and then, arousal and desire for his mate. It wasn't right, and Robertus hated himself for desiring the man who had taken him by force, but he couldn't suppress his feelings for his handsome mate completely.

He was already lying on his side of the bed when Marcus came back to him, ignoring him as he undressed and used the bathroom that was adjoined to the bedroom. Robertus knew that it was a hopeless undertaking to feign sleep, he was too upset to merely think of trying to do that. Marcus could sense through their link that he was still awake, and he waited for the blond Alpha to come to him and use his body again, leaving him cold and unsatisfied afterwards like he'd done it the last times he'd taken him.

Luna's silvery rays shone onto Marcus' lithe figure when he left the bath and stalked over to the bed like a gracious golden lion, and Robertus felt desire surging through his veins at the sight. He felt like a traitor that he longed for Marcus' touch, although Thomas was the man he loved with all his heart, and he tried to suppress his emotions before Marcus would take notice of them.

The blond Alpha bared his teeth as he came closer. “Oh no, my mate. Tonight you won't hide your feelings from me. I won't let you do that any longer. You're mine, and you'll better start giving me what I want from you. Tonight, you won't lie there like a dead marble statue, tonight you will moan for me and show me how much pleasure my touch is making you feel!” Marcus growled, and he was on the bed and pulling Robertus close to his body before he had the slightest chance to react and push him away.

 

***

 

Robertus gasped out and tried to wriggle out of Marcus' arms, but the younger Alpha was tired of their fighting and Robertus' attempts to make him feel like a rapist every single time he took him, and tonight he wouldn't let Robertus do that again.

Tonight his mate would feel pleasure and lust when they were together, and Marcus growled and surged forward to make Robertus tilt his head to the side and grant him access to his mark. It was still deep red and unnaturally warm under his lips, and Marcus licked over the tender flesh to soothe it before he started to suck and nibble at it.

Robertus howled, violent shivers capturing his body when the bond between them became stronger at the contact and Marcus' strong desire for him flooded his system. His hands came up to claw at Marcus' shoulders, and the sharp pain when Robertus' nails dug into his skin spurred him on to suck harder at the mark and turn his unwilling mate into a quivering and needy mess for once.

“You're mine, and I won't allow you to treat my like dirt again,” he snarled passionately, and Robertus chuckled mockingly. “But you are like dirt to me, like dust that is not worthy to touch the soles of my sandals, my _mate_.” he challenged the younger one, and Marcus bit down hard on his neck in return, pulling a harsh cry from his prey. He snickered, licking teasingly over the fresh wound. “I should have known that the thought of you rolling around in the dust and the dirt of the streets would get you off, my sweet Omega. That's where your rightful place is, lying under a strong and powerful Alpha to submit to them and take their hard cocks like every good Omega should do – lying under _me_ and taking _my_ hard cock! Because nobody else will ever get the chance to see the look of surrender on your face when the dirt under your sandals is teaching you your place, Robertus!”

He silenced Robertus' snarl with a hot and angry, fierce kiss, pushing his tongue deep into the soft cavern of the other Alpha's mouth without caring that Robertus would perhaps try to bite him. The older Alpha didn't, battling for dominance and take control of their kiss instead. Marcus let him do that for a while, too happy that his mate didn't remain passive this time but responded to him, and he moved behind him to embrace him from behind without breaking their deep and ardent kiss.

They kissed with teeth and tongues for several minutes, and the fire of his desire made Marcus' mind swim and low growls escape his throat. They vibrated against Robertus' back where his chest was pressed against the dark-haired Alpha's body, and Marcus' hands roamed feverishly over the chiseled landscape of Robertus' worked-out male body. The other man had lost weight due to the events that had taken their toll on him, but he was still strong and hard in all the right places, his heavy Alpha scent filling Marcus' mouth and his nose when he gained back control of their kiss.

They were kneeling on the bed by the time Marcus started to prepare him with oil-slicked fingers, his right arm keeping Robertus upright and immobile while he pushed two fingers of his left hand deep into Robertus' quivering hole. The other Alpha moaned and threw his head back, a hot wave of desire mixed with the pain of the intrusion shooting through their link like liquid fire. Marcus was hard and needy against Robertus' backside, and he found his mate hard for him as well when he moved his hand down on his abdomen. Robertus whimpered when Marcus gave his twitching member a few experimental strokes – just to let go of it again to tease Robertus' nipples, biting into his earlobe.

“Moan for me, my defiant Omega. Moan for me and make noise for me.” Marcus' hot breath grazed over Robertus' flushed skin, and the other Alpha grunted with both hate and arousal.

“I'm not an Omega. I'm an Alpha, and I will never be your Omega, Legatus Retus!”

“Oh yes, you are. The Gods themselves want you to be my Omega, Legatus Levantus,” Marcus purred against his damp skin, licking over Robertus' fresh bite mark again. “My Omega, Robertus. Mine to teach, mine to tame, mine to punish if you don't behave, and mine to fuck!”

“Never!”

Robertus' scream echoed in the fragrant air, but he didn't fight against Marcus' tight embrace. On the contrary, he pushed his hips back to feel Marcus' fingers deeper inside his channel, so hot and tight and delicious that Marcus threatened to lose all reason and impale him on his aching cock without making sure that the other Alpha would be able to take him in without getting hurt.

The blond Roman gritted his teeth and stopped controlling his emotions, letting them flow freely across the thick silken threads of their bond. Passion, anger, hate, desire, possessiveness and lust washed over Robertus in one huge wave, and the dark-haired Alpha shuddered and craned his head to search blindly for Marcus' neck and sink his own teeth into his vulnerable throat. Skin broke, and the sensation of his dark blood floating over Robertus' tongue was almost too much to bear for Marcus. He roared and pushed three fingers into his mate, earning a violent reaction from the older one when he found his most sensitive spot and curled his fingertips into it.

Robertus clung to his neck for dear life, sucking and gulping desperately at his precious life-force, and the strength of their bond and the emotions he could feel in addition to his own overwhelming feelings exploded in his head and throbbed in every cell of his aching body.

 _'Mine, mine, mine! Mine forever, you're mine, Robertus, mine forever!'_ The thought that Robertus belonged to him for all of the time repeated itself all over again in his mind, and Marcus lined himself up with shaking hands and searched his way inside Robertus' trembling body, his hand finding its way back to Robertus' proud weapon. The other Alpha was wet with the arousal their passionate fight had milked from him, and it was easy to stroke him to more hardness in time to his violent thrusts against his prostate.

Robertus let go of his throat, his white teeth shimmering deep red with Marcus' blood still coatig them in the pale moonlight, and Marcus couldn't avert his eyes from the other man's beautiful male face.

Robertus didn't look at him, he had squeezed his eyes shut, and his sensitive lips moved with the name he whispered into the darkness of Marcus' bedroom when he came close and closer to the point of no return with every powerful thrust of Marcus' hard Alpha cock.

“Thomas, my love...”

Marcus recoiled from him as if he had burnt himself, staring at Robertus in shock. Robertus blinked and whined because of the sudden emptiness in his abused channel and the pain Marcus' violent retreat had caused, shivers wrecking his body as he was left aching with need and unsatisfied – again.

“I. Am. Not. Thomas!” Marcus ground out, his entire body throbbing with unbearable pain. “I am not him, and you'll better never ever call me by this name again if you don't want to be beaten to death from my own hands, Robertus!”

They stared at each other, and Robertus balled his own hands to fists as well, his blue eyes glowing in the darkness. “No, you're not him, how could I ever forget that?” Robertus sneered bitterly. “Thomas is kind and loving where you are cruel and heartless, I should be ashamed that I could forget for just a second that it wasn't him making love to me but you raping me again!”

The dark shadows blurred to deep red before his eyes with the force of Marcus' hate and ire, and he balled his fists until his fingers cramped to keep himself from beating Robertus to death right there and then.

“Do you really believe that I wanted this, Robertus? That I wanted to leave my home to come back to Rome and tie myself to a mate who hates and despises me? To an Alpha who can never be the Omega mate I longed for? Has the thought that I was forced to leave someone I love dearly never crossed your mind so far? That I'm suffering because of a lost love just as much as you're doing? Because that's what I had to do – breaking the heart of the most beautiful and kindest Omega walking under the stars of Germania's sky and the skies of the entire world. Have you never considered that you are not the only one who had to give up everything because of this damn oath and the stupid promise you gave me when we were nothing more than just silly boys? My heart is bleeding because of the love I had to leave behind just to endure your hate and all your insults! Oh how I wished that the Gods had killed me rather than forced us to mate!” he screamed, jumping from the bed and hastily grabbing his tunic from the rack as he stumbled over to the door.

“Marcus...” Robertus' choked voice reached him just when he fumbled for the door handle, but Marcus didn't stop or look back, he just fled out of the room and across the corridor until he couldn't hear him any longer. But the mocking voice in his head was still audible even when he reached the empty and dark gardens to hide himself under one of the bushes there, repeating the name of the man Robertus truly longed for inside his head in an endless loop:

_'Thomas, my love... Thomas, my love... Thomas, my love...'_

 

***

 

He must have fallen asleep under the bush after some time, because the next thing Marcus knew when he opened his eyes again was that the sun was already shining brightly onto the grass and a man with red hair shaking his shoulder – Rufus, Robertus' personal slave.

“Dominus, Dominus, please wake up. Your mate has gone into rut, and I fear that he won't make it through it without your help. Dominus, do you hear me? Your mate is having the strongest rut I've ever seen, and he will die if you won't help him!”


	6. Robertus' Rut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What the title says, Robertus is experiencing a forceful rut, and he needs help to go through it. But Marcus had left him after their ugly fight the previous night, and he's also an Alpha himself and not meant to help another Alpha through his rut...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My dear friends,
> 
> I was asked how Thomas fits into this story. This chapter will give you the answer to that question. :-)  
> I'll answer to your lovely comments tomorrow, but I really wanted to write the next chapter for you at first! <33

Marcus felt dizzy when he stumbled onto his feet to follow Rufus back to his private rooms, and he wondered why Robertus' rut hadn't woken him up in the first place. The flow of emotions through their bond was thin and somehow damaged though, and this was probably the reason why Marcus hadn't sensed Robertus' poor state in his sleep.

“Please, hurry Dominus,” Rufus urged him on, and Marcus swallowed against a sudden bout of nausea, fearing that they would come too late to help Robertus. Non matter how much hate and hurt were between them, but Marcus didn't want his mate to die, and he accelerated his steps until he was actually running, not bothering to talk to the servants he met on his way.

Robertus lay curled up on their bed when he stormed into the bedroom, violent shivers wrecking his body. He was burning with the fever of his rut, heat radiating from him when Marcus approached him. The whites in his eyes were almost black as deep red as they were when Robertus gazed at him, and Marcus couldn't strangle a gasp when he saw the small trickle of blood dripping from Robertus' nose. His mate was in much worse shape than he'd feared to find him in, and Marcus realized with dismay that he wouldn't be able to help him through his rut. He was an Alpha himself, Robertus' hated Alpha mate, there was no way that he could save the other man's life after all that had happened between them.

“Marcus...” Robertus' voice was only a croaked and raw whisper, and Marcus knelt down beside the bed to take his burning hot and dry fingers in his hand. Their bond was thoroughly impaired and damaged after the events of the previous night, and Marcus wished desperately that he could take Robertus' pain away from him and endure it himself. His anger and hate drained away from him in this minute completely, and Marcus regretted every single word of fury and loathing he'd thrown at the one he'd loved so much from the first moment on they had met as young children – and whom he still loved deeply as he eventually admitted to himself. Robertus didn't want his love, but true love wasn't selfish and demanded anything in return, and Marcus would give his mate what he wanted and needed regardless of his own feelings.

“Hush, don't speak, Levi, it's too straining. I will help you, I promise you. I know that it's not me you're yearning for, and I'm not an Omega who could ease the pain you're feeling – not the Omega you love so much. I will bring Thomas to you, and I shall hurry,” he said, stroking the dark strands of Robertus' with sweat soaked hair out of his forehead. “Please don't give up, I won't let you down again – not this time, never again!”

Robertus opened his mouth, but Marcus gently put his finger onto his dry and split lips to silence him. “Only Thomas can save you, your rut is too strong for me to do that, so please save your strength, you'll need it!” Robertus groaned and winced when another wave of searing pain captured his body, and Marcus rose to back to his feet and turned around to Rufus.

“I need to go myself, I can't leave this task to anyone else. Tiberius will only agree to Thomas helping Robertus if I talk personally to him, and we don't have any time to waste. My personal servant Joshua will bring you some herbals. They won't suppress his rut completely, but they should help until I'm back again. He will most likely throw up everything we try to get into his system, but you have to make him keep some water and the herbals in his mouth for a few moments before he spits them out again, this should help at least partly.”

Rufus nodded his head. “I will do that. But are you sure that you can't help him yourself, Dominus? You are his mate!”

Marcus sadly shook his head. “Our bond is seriously damaged. Plus, I can't give him what he needs – I am the man he hates the most in this world, and I'm an Alpha and not made to submit to him like he would need it in his state. Only a real Omega can help him through this strong rut – the Omega he loves more than anything in this world. I won't let him die, Rufus, I promise you. I will bring Thomas to him – and if I have to fight an entire army to do so!”

He headed towards the exit without listening to what Rufus was calling after him, and the hot rush of pain shooting through their bond made him walk faster and faster until he was running through the corridors of his villa again, his only thought that he needed to find Thomas before it would be too late to save his mate from a painful and horrible death.

 

***

 

Robertus' rut had started to rage in his body shortly after Marcus had fled from him, and it had become stronger and stronger with every minute that had passed.

Robertus had lain in the bed, thrashing and kicking around, but he hadn't gone up to search for Marcus and ask him for help, knowing that he had lost the right to do that. He hadn't thought that Marcus remembered the promise his own former six-year-old self had given him, but Marcus did remember that day, and Robertus finally, finally admitted to himself that Marcus was just a victim in this mess like he was. He hadn't thought that Marcus had had to give up just as much as Robertus had been forced to give up – actually even more because Robertus had only fallen in love with Thomas after his return to Rome several months ago, while Marcus must have known the Omega he loved for much longer.

Robertus felt too guilty to call for his mate through their bond, and he restrained his emotions from their link and cut it off until the thick threads tore and only a few weak and thin ones were left, hoping that it would be enough to set Marcus free and save him before it would be too late.

The rest of the night went by in a blur of unbearable pain and agony until Rufus found him when the sun was already shining, and Robertus' last hope was that the Gods would show mercy and release him from his misery any time soon – in which way this might happen however - whether it was by letting his rut pass by or kill him – Robertus didn't really care about that any longer.

Without Thomas and Marcus nothing really mattered to him anymore, and Robertus succumbed to the pain shaking him to his very core and essence, his dry and torn lips whispering some words without him really noticing it:

“Marcus, my mate, I'm so sorry, so sorry...”

 

***

 

“Matteus said that it is really urgent, Marcus. But what could be that urgent one week after your marriage with your handsome mate? I already told you that I won't fulfill your stupid wish and release you from your oath – in which way whatsoever.”

Marcus bowed before Tiberius, who was sitting behind the desk in his private office to sign some parchments lying before him. The emperor put the quill to the side and leaned back in his chair, waiting for Marcus to tell him why he had burst into his quiet morning as if the three furies themselves were hunting him.

Marcus' eyes darted to Thomas standing behind Tiberius' chair, his knees buckling with relief that he didn't need to search for the handsome Omega somewhere else. “My emperor, please excuse me, but it's a matter of life and death. My mate is having a severe rut, and he won't make it through it without the help of an Omega. Without the help of the Omega he loves more than anything to be precise.” The words were tumbling out of his mouth, and Marcus was gasping for air as he waited for Tiberius' answer.

Tiberius pursed his lips and observed his disheveled state silently. “You are Robertus' mate, not Thomas. You are the one who should help him, son of Thomas Retus.”

Marcus closed his eyes and swallowed, not sure whether or not it was a good sign that the emperor reminded him of his father in this crucial moment.

“I can't. It's not me Robertus longs for. I'm the one he hates the most in this world, and our bond is damaged and almost broken. Please, Tiberius, let Thomas come with me. Not for my sake, but for Robertus' sake. Please, I'm begging you! Please don't let him die, take my life instead!”

Tiberius narrowed his eyes in anger. “We've already discussed this the last time you'd burst in on me like that. I won't sentence you to death just to release Robertus from the oath my divinely predecessor and your fathers have once sworn to save the Roman Empire. You have become mates by the will of the Gods, and none of you will die but honor their decision and make the best out of your marriage, am I understood? I need both of you alive and healthy!”

“Yes, you are, my emperor. But Robertus will die if you won't let Thomas help him. Please show mercy with him, he's suffering badly!” Marcus nodded subdued, and he could hear a strangled gasp coming from Thomas. The Omega hadn't been around when Marcus had gone to see Tiberius a week ago to beg him to release Robertus from their forced marriage or perhaps even kill Marcus himself to set the older Alpha free again. Thomas stared at him in shock and horror, but Marcus focused on Tiberius, clenching and unclenching his fists as he waited for the emperor to speak up again.

“Do you love him, my friend?” Tiberius sounded surprisingly kind, and Marcus closed his eyes and nodded again. “Yes, I do. But Robertus doesn't want my love. There is no place left for me in his heart. Thomas is the one he loves, and I can't stand seeing him suffer any longer.”

“I see.” Tiberius waved at Thomas, and the Omega stepped beside him with a bow to await his orders. “Are you willing to help Robertus through his rut – in every way possible, Thomas?”

Thomas shot another glance at Marcus. “Yes, I am, my emperor.” His voice was hoarse but firm, and his face showed an expression of grim determination to do whatever would be necessary to help the Alpha his heart belonged to through his rut.

“Very well then, go with Marcus and make sure that Robertus will stay alive - so both of these stupid fools can finally sort things out between them. I won't allow them to break the oath they have sworn though, is that clear? My wrath and the wrath of the Gods will be severe and also hit your whole families if you so much as only think of trying to betray them and me.”

“Yes, my emperor,” Marcus and Thomas said in unison, and Marcus felt his knees buckle with relief again. He bowed before Tiberius again, gesturing to Thomas to follow him. “Thank your for your graciousness, my emperor. We will not betray your trust and kindness, I swear to you. Thomas, please hurry up, we don't have any time to lose, I fear for the worst if we won't be fast enough!”

Thomas nodded and followed him without any other word, and together they headed back to Marcus' villa, both of them praying that they would make it back in time before it would be too late to save the man both of them loved so much.

 

***

 

Their way back seemed to take ages, and Marcus was shaking with fear and exhaustion by the time they reached his villa. His personal slave Joshua was awaiting them in the large foyer, and Marcus gratefully took the mug with water the young slave handed him to gulp the cool liquid down and smear his throat.

“Joshua, please show Counselor Thomas Mullericus the way to my private rooms. He's the only one who can help my mate in his sickness, and they are not to be disturbed!”

“Of course, Dominus, it shall be like you said.” the young Omega bowed before his Dominus, eyeing the older Omega critically. Each Omega in Marcus' household must know about Robertus' state at this point, and the forceful rut of their adored Dominus' mate must affect them pretty much, even more because it must confuse them that their Dominus asked his rival to help his mate through his rut instead of trying to do that himself.

“You won't come with us?” Thomas asked quietly when Marcus didn't make any attempt to go with them, and Marcus smiled sadly at him. “I am not the one he needs, Thomas. It'll be better for him when I'm not around. Please take good care of him, don't let him die.”

Thomas returned his smile. “I won't, I promise you, Marcus. Thank you for letting me do this for him – for both of you.”

Marcus watched Thomas and Joshua leave the hall, quietly making his way to the gardens where he sat down under the bush again, the memory of another sunny day when he had sought shelter in the gardens of Legatus Levantus' villa and sat hidden under a thick bush crushing down on him.

Marcus pulled his knees to his chest like he had done it back then twenty years ago, wrapping his arms around them and burying his face in them as he finally allowed himself to cry.

 

***

 

Marcus didn't know how long he'd sat under the bush, lost in his memories and waiting anxiously for some news about Robertus. He was hesitant to reach for his mate through their damaged bond, and the few emotions he received were not helpful to ease his worries and his own pain. Robertus still seemed to suffer, even though Thomas was with him now, an Omega by nature, born to submit to a strong Alpha and the man Robertus loved with every fiber of his being above all things.

The blond legatus couldn't understand why he still shared Robertus' painful rut even after several hours had passed, he'd hoped that Thomas had been able to quench the fire of his mate's rut at least a little bit until now. His servants and slaves left him alone, and Marcus was deeply grateful for their silent understanding, but he knew that he had to keep up appearances and finally made his way back to his villa with heavy steps.

Joshua had prepared a light meal for him, and Marcus was standing before the window front and staring outside nibbling at a slice of bread when the heard the door to his living room open.

The delicious sweet scent of an Omega filled his nose, and Marcus slowly turned around to face the newcomer. He recognized Thomas by his scent without having to look who wanted to talk to him after the times he'd spent in Thomas' company, even though it had been only few hours so far, and Marcus wondered briefly why Thomas didn't smell more of sex and Robertus than he actually did.

“Thomas! Why didn't you send Rufus to inform me about Robertus' state? Why did you come here yourself? Is he better? Please tell me!” he asked worriedly, trying to get his raging jealousy under control and not jump his rival to rip his heart out of his body. He had been able to suppress his jealousy and hurt about Thomas helping his mate through his rut as long as he'd been alone, but his emotions ran wild when he saw Thomas' flushed face and his tousled golden-brown hair. Thomas' former white tunic was crumpled and stained, and Marcus drew in several deep breaths to calm himself down again.

He loved Robertus, he could endure him making love to Thomas without attacking the man who was willing to save his mate's life and ease his pain.

“Rufus is with Robertus at the moment. I needed to come here to talk to you alone, Marcus. Robertus' state is stable, but he's not better, no. I tried to help him, and I could ease his pain to some extent, but he's still suffering greatly, and the fire of his rut is raging unrestrained in his body.”

Marcus stared at Thomas in shock, and he suppressed a cry of fear only with effort. “But why? You are with him now – the man and the Omega he loves! Why didn't you help him? I was willing to endure everything for his sake – even the thought of him making love to you, and now you're telling me that it was in vain? That I allowed you to sleep with him for nothing?” he growled furiously, raising his fists in a threatening gesture.

Thomas didn't flinch back from his wrath like he'd expected him to do though. He even stepped closer to Marcus, making a calming gesture with his own hand. “Please be quieter, Marcus. I didn't sleep with Robertus, I tried to help him without taking that final step. Plus, I highly doubt that it would have helped him much more in any way.”

“But why?” Fear was rising in Marcus' throat like bitter bile, and he stared at Thomas almost pleadingly. Thomas sighed. “I don't know what happened between the two of you, Marcus, but I know for certain that you're the only one who can really help him. You are his mate, and the bond between you is still strong, even though it is severely damaged because both of you tried to cut it off and hide your emotions from each other. You'll need to fix it again, Marcus. Robertus won't survive if you don't. You are his mate, and he needs you to help him through his rut. Don't let him down, Marcus, I'm begging you!”

“But I don't know how. I'm an Alpha, I can't give him what he truly needs!” Marcus objected weakly. Everything inside him screamed to run to his mate and do everything Robertus needed him to do, but he was afraid, and he didn't know how he should be able to submit to the other Alpha without fighting and hurting both of them seriously.

“Yes, you can, and you will, Alpha!” Thomas' voice was hard now, and it didn't allow any further protest. Marcus snarled warningly, but the Omega held his ground, a proud and brave Roman who didn't back away from a snarling Alpha. He was fighting the fight Robertus couldn't fight in his state, and it was clear that Thomas intended to win this fight at all cost.

“I will help you, Marcus. I will be there and help you doing what needs to be done,” he promised, his voice softer now, but still determined. “You love him, you can do that, I have faith in you.”

Marcus lowered his head down. “Yes, I love him. But he doesn't love me. You are the one his heart longs for, Thomas.” If this painful truth only didn't hurt as much as it actually did.

“You stubborn and blind Alpha! Of course he loves you! Robertus has loved you since you were children! The fight between your fathers never changed that! Will you come with me now and help your suffering mate, or do want to stay here and dwell in self-pity and fear, Alpha? I never really liked you, but I always respected you for the brave and honorable Roman I took you for! Robertus needs us – both of us - so stop feeling sorry for yourself and try to undo the hurt your stubbornness and blindness have caused to both of you! I swear I will drag you to your bedroom by the collar of your tunic myself if you refuse to come with me – _now_ , Marcus Retus!”

No Omega had ever dared to talk to him like that, and Marcus stared at Thomas in shock, but his feet moved of their own will and started moving towards the door before Marcus knew what he was doing. Thomas let out a contented growl, jerking his head at the exit. “I'm glad that you're finally able to see reason again, Alpha. Now come with me, please, we don't have any time to lose. Your mate is waiting for you!”

 

***

 

Robertus was thrashing about on the crumpled bedsheets when Marcus entered the bedroom with Thomas on his heels, and Marcus could see instantly that his rut still had him in its sharp claws. Rufus looked as disheveled and worried as Marcus had never seen him, and he glared at Marcus in accusation and deep concern for his beloved Dominus for a moment before he managed to school his features into an expression that was appropriate for a slave.

Marcus didn't mind Rufus' anger though, he was angry with himself and deeply ashamed that he had hesitated for even one second to come here and help Robertus when Thomas had asked him for help.

He rushed to the bed without thinking, ripping his tunic and his sandals from his body on his way without caring about the two other men. Quiet murmur sounded behind him, but Marcus didn't care about the words, and the sound of a door closing again proved to him that Rufus must have left them.

Robertus whimpered when he saw Marcus, trying to get up into a sitting position, some of his strength returning to him when Marcus' familiar scent wafted through the air to him. Pain and exhaustion trickled through their bond along the thin threads that were still intact, and Marcus didn't even have the chance to lay down on the bed when Robertus surged forward with a low possessive growl, pulling Marcus down roughly and pinning him onto the damp mattress with a hiss. His skin was dry and burning hot, his deep red eyes sunken in his flushed face. His scent was heavy and had a sick note, and Marcus felt himself react to the attack, his Alpha instincts rising to the surface and telling him to fight against the other Alpha and make him submit to him instead of surrendering to Robertus for once like Marcus had intended to do.

He growled in annoyance, struggling against the hands holding him down with panic overtaking him. He was an Alpha, he wouldn't let any other Alpha dominate and claim him like that, not even his mate. Robertus was surprisingly strong for his poor state, his rut increasing his strength and making him fight harder and harder until both Alphas were snarling and trying to beat the other one, being in acute danger to cause severe damage to each other.

A soothing voice and the sweet scent of an Omega calmed him down enough that Marcus kept sill for a moment, and he turned his head to the side with a groan to stare at Thomas in something akin to surprise. He had almost forgotten that his rival was still there, and in this moment, he was utterly grateful for the other man's calming presence.

“Please don't fight against him, Marcus. He's your mate, and he needs you. Robertus has twisted his true Alpha nature for your sake when you needed him, and he deserves that you're willing to do the same for him. You are true mates, and true mates do that for each other.” Thomas snuggled closer, his naked body cool against Marcus' from their fight flushed skin.

The younger Alpha drew in some shaky breaths, and he nodded slowly. “I will try, Thomas. But it's so hard...”

“I know, but your bond will help you. I'm here to help you.” Thomas reached out to touch Robertus' cheek, who had gone still above Marcus, looking back and forth between his mate and his Omega. Thomas smiled tenderly at the upset Alpha in rut.

“Your mate is here to help you now, love. But you must be careful, you can't just take him like you would do it with me in your need. You don't want to hurt him, do you?”

Robertus shook his head and blinked. “No, I don't want to hurt him. But the fire inside me is burning me alive!” he ground out, and Thomas stroked his face soothingly. “I know, love. You'll feel better soon. Your mate will submit to you, but you have to make it easier for him so he won't fight against you too hard.”

Robertus looked miserably. “I don't know how. I've always wanted to be pure for you... for my mate, I don't know what to do...”

A strong wave of tenderness surged through Marcus, and he sent it to the other Alpha in the hope that it would reach Robertus and help him. “I will surrender to you, my mate,” he whispered gently, “but Thomas is right, you can't just take me. You have to prepare me like I've done it with you, alright?”

Robertus nodded. He buried his nose in the warm crook between Marcus' shoulder and his neck, and Marcus tilted his head to the side to let him lick over his mark. Maybe it would repair their damaged bond if Robertus bit him again, and he heaved a relieved sigh when Robertus loosened his tight grip around his trapped wrists and reached out with his right hand to let Thomas slick his fingers up. He still felt uncomfortable and like fighting, but the sensation of Robertus' warm and wet tongue stroking playfully over his throbbing mating bite distracted him enough that he could lie still and even spread his legs for the other man.

“You're mine!” Robertus whimpered against his neck, and Marcus wrapped his arms around his sweaty back to hold him tight. “Yes, I'm yours, Levi, I've been yours from the first day on. Please don't fight me any longer. Even the Gods want us to be together...” his voice trailed off and he cried out when Robertus bit down on his throat to suck at his claret again, and he almost missed the first intrusion of Robertus' finger in his tight channel.

The Alpha in Marcus growled and hissed in anger, and he tensed up and struggled, but a gentle kiss on his cheek made him open his eyes to look at Thomas. The other man looked at him intently, and Marcus let out a soft sound and relaxed gradually. “Robertus is your mate, your Omega mate, you would do that for your Omega without question. You can do that for the Alpha in your mate too,” the handsome Omega murmured, and Marcus swallowed and pushed his nose against his shoulder to inhale his delicious sweet scent and console himself. Thomas smelled faintly of Robertus, the heavy Alpha musk intermingling with Thomas' natural sweetness, and Marcus spread his legs wider without thinking, welcoming the burning in his virgin passage and the desire Robertus' finger aroused in him as it started to move rhythmically.

The next minutes passed by in a blur, and Marcus felt their bond becoming stronger again with every gulp and every suck Robertus took, lying trapped beneath the strong body of his mate with Thomas close to them, and his hips began to move as well, pushing back to feel Robertus' fingers deeper inside his body.

Thomas was stroking Robertus' back the entire time, and he hummed contentedly when Robertus was finally able to insert three fingers without Marcus trying to pull away from the intrusion.

“It's hurting, it's burning!” Robertus gasped out in pain, and Marcus groaned with him as he shared his ache through the new link that was as strong as the old one had been, the silken threads of their connection unbreakable now.

“Just take what you need, my mate, I can feel your pain. Claim me, Robertus, make me yours!” he demanded breathlessly, and Robertus growled and pressed his lips onto Marcus' mouth in an ardent kiss, exploring his mouth with his tongue with desperate desire and need. Marcus focused on their kiss, challenging his mate to duel with him for dominance, and he for once let Robertus take the lead gladly and happily. The motions of Thomas' hand next to him told him that the Omega was lining Robertus up for their mating, and the powerful sensation of lust Robertus felt at the touch of his beloved Omega aroused Marcus even more. He was surprised how little jealous he felt, the fact that Robertus needed him to go through his rut easing the hurt he still felt because his mate loved another one so much.

“Need you, Mars, please I need you. I didn't mean to hurt you, I'm so sorry,” Robertus breathed against his lips, and Marcus pulled him over his body again and kissed him passionately. He was still tense and scared about what was to come, but he was determined to give his mate what he needed and prove his love to him with his surrender.

“I know, Levi. It's fine, just take what you need. I won't fight you, I promise you.” He could do that. Robertus had submitted to him, he could do the same. If it only wasn't so hard to fight against his innermost instincts...

“Take deep breaths and relax, Alpha. Just like that, you're doing fine,” Thomas murmured, and Marcus inhaled his scent again, grateful that the handsome Omega was there and helping them through this experience. “Don't leave us, please!” he heard himself say, and Thomas moved closer and entangled their fingers on Robertus' back. “I won't leave you. Squeeze my fingers and let your mate in – in your body and in your bond and your heart, Marcus.”

Marcus did, and the intrusion hurt surprisingly little. Robertus was so big and hard and hot, almost splitting him into two halves as he entered him as carefully as he was able to do with his rut still raging inside him so forcefully, but Marcus felt strangely complete, filled and possessed and cherished in a way he'd never felt beforehand. He realized that he shared Robertus' memories from when he'd taken the older Alpha, and he was amazed and forgot how to breathe for a moment. Robertus had always lain there motionless and enduring Marcus' lovemaking, that he had actually felt lust and happiness at being so close to him was something Marcus hadn't thought likely and possible at all.

The dark-haired Alpha trembled above him as he fought his urge to dominate and possess Marcus, his inner turmoil because of their changed roles clear to detect for the younger man underneath all the desire and overwhelming lust. But then Robertus' need to quench the fire burning him alive became too strong to resist it any longer, and he started to move fast and hard, chasing release from the unbearable pain of his rut.

Marcus was shoved back and forth onto the mattress, hardly able to process what was happening to him, and the burning inside his stretched channel became stronger with every powerful thrust Robertus possessed him with. Marcus watched and felt Robertus' long suppressed Alpha nature breaking free all at once, and his ears were ringing from the loud growls and howls and snarls Robertus made. His large and rock-hard cock grew even bigger and harder inside Marcus' abused passage, and he whimpered and groaned with pain and lust, his neglected cock rubbing against Robertus' abs and stomach. His world shrank to the bed and Robertus' cock moving inside him, driving in and out of him with unrestrained passion.

Had he done the same when he had possessed Robertus during his own rut? Had he taken Robertus' virginity that violently? Marcus didn't know the answer to that question, but he understood much better now how Robertus must have felt, and he regretted deeply what he had done and how their relationship had begun, both of them trying so hard to hurt the other one.

Robertus went rigid above him before Marcus had the chance to adjust to his violent pummeling and his own desire, and he cried out in fear and agony when Robertus' knot swelled inside him without any warning. The older Alpha was too trapped in his climax and the satisfaction coursing through him in powerful waves to react in time and pull out, and Marcus screamed again, struggling to push his mate away from him. Hot spurts of Robertus' ecstasy filled him, spilling against his clenching walls, and Marcus groaned with both pain and lust and pushed against Robertus' shoulder, but the other man was too heavy to shake him off.

“Hush, it's too late, don't do that, he will hurt you seriously.” Thomas was there, soothing and calm, a tower of strength in the storm of Marcus' emotions, and Marcus squeezed his fingers until the Omega let out a pained whine.

“It's too much, it's hurting!” Marcus ground out through gritted teeth, and Robertus buried his face on his shoulder again and lay completely still, his knot pulsing against Marcus' cramping walls. He was still spurting hot and wet inside Marcus, and his breathing was ragged and strained as he tried to will his knot to subside as quickly as possible.

“I'm sorry, my mate, I'm so sorry, Mars. I tried to pull out, but I wasn't fast enough...”

Marcus swallowed. Robertus was his mate, his Alpha-Omega, and they had to find a way to deal with their ruts and be together without hurting one another and be sorry for everything. “I know, Levi, I know. Just don't move, please,” he murmured into his ear, and to his surprise it hurt much less when he relaxed and allowed the sensations to wash over him without fighting them. Sharing Robertus' pleasure and the relief he felt now that the fire of his rut was quenched for the time being helped him, and Marcus searched for Robertus' lips and kissed him tenderly.

“I love you.”

Marcus blinked, not sure that he had heard right. “What?” he stammered, and Robertus lifted his head up to look down at him. “I love you, Mars. Do you remember that day when I promised that I'd rather be your Omega than a consul if that meant that we could become true mates then?”

Marcus felt close to tears, and he smiled shakily at his mate. “Yes, I remember that day, Levi. I never forgot your promise, but I thought that you had forgotten it when our fathers became enemies.”

“I didn't. I love you, Mars. I've never stopped loving you, even when I hated you so much.”

Marcus swallowed. “I love you too, Levi. Always have.”

Robertus rested his head on Marcus' shoulder. The blond Alpha wasn't sure if his mate remembered that Thomas was still there, lying beside them, but he got his answer when Robertus reached out to take Thomas' hand and entangle their fingers.

“Back then, after that horrible carnage – when all that your father wanted to do was to take revenge – to hunt Arminius down with a few men only, my father talked to Augustus and begged him not to let your father do that. They had always been best friends, but for my father, Thomas Retus was much more than just a friend. He loved him like he had loved my mother before her death, and the mere thought of losing him and his former friend and foster brother Arminius slaughtering the man he loved and killing any more Roman broke my father's heart. He couldn't tell him about his love because they were both Alphas and neither of them could twist their nature that much and submit to another Alpha – even not out of love; and he rather wanted your father to hate him for the rest of his life than watch him die from Arminius' hand and you having to grow up as an orphan.”

Robertus paused for a moment, and Marcus stared up at him in shock, stunned into silence. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out, and Robertus continued to speak, lost in his memories.  
His soft cock slipped out of Marcus' pulsing hole, and the blond Alpha felt empty and bereft of something precious.

“One night I found my father crying and asked him why he was so sad, and he told me he truth.  
I wanted to console him and told him about the promise I'd given you a few years ago and that I would gladly become your Omega if it only meant that we could be friends again and our fathers wouldn't hate each other so much. He said that Augustus had sworn an oath that you and me would become mates when the time was right, and that your father had sworn the oath that you would never become anybody's Omega, so it was left up to me to fulfill both oaths and soothe the Gods. But you were still so angry and full of hate even after so many years, and I had just met Thomas and fallen in love with him – even though I still loved you and missed you so much...”

Robertus' last words ended in a sob, and Marcus held him close and rocked him, grieving together with his mate about what they had lost because of the traitor they had once loved like an older brother.

“I love you too, Levi. I didn't know that, I really had no clue! But I know for sure that my father has always loved yours as well, and I do believe that they are united again, now that we have become mates and reunited our families. The Gods will show mercy with them and let them be together in love and friendship again.”

“Do you really think so?” Robertus asked, and Marcus nodded and kissed him. “They have finally found their peace, and our bond will never break, Robertus, I promise you. You've made that possible when you surrendered to me, and I want to give you something back for what you've done for all of us.”

Marcus gently pushed him off of his body, turning his head to smile at Thomas. “It is about time that you'll learn what it means to make love to your Omega, my mate. I want you to claim him as your Omega, and I want to share this experience with you when you do that.”

 

***

 

Robertus could hardly believe his ears, and he thought that he must be dreaming. Thomas had tried to ease his pain and help him through his rut without really sleeping with him, and even when they had finally tried that, Robertus hadn't been able to take him, his body revolting against betraying his chosen mate with another one, even though he loved Thomas and longed so badly to claim him that he felt sick with his unfulfilled desire for the beautiful Omega.

That Marcus wanted him to make love to Thomas after their desperate mating was more than he'd thought possible, and he looked at his Alpha, fearing that he had misunderstood something. But Marcus smiled so tenderly at him, stroking his cheek. “What are you waiting for? I can sense your desire for him through our bond, my mate, and Thomas must be aching for you too. I can smell his arousal.”

“Are you really sure that you want that, Mars?” he asked, and Marcus nodded. “I'll be jealous, but as much as we love each other, Levi, but we can't be together without an Omega helping us, and I'd rather see you being together with the one you love and who loves you back than with some random Omega who can never understand our bond like Thomas is actually doing.”

“I love you, Mars,” Robertus whispered, overwhelmed by his love for both men.

“I know. I love you too. Now show him that you don't love him any less.”

Marcus didn't need to say that twice, and Robertus growled when the fire of his rut became stronger again, burning higher and higher when he inhaled deeply Thomas' delicious scent. “Do you want that too, my beloved Omega? Do you want to become mine?”

Thomas looked up at him with devotion shining in his eyes. “Yes, I want to be yours, my Alpha. I love you, Robertus, please take me and make yours like it was always meant to be between Alphas and Omegas – right from the beginning of this world.”

Robertus let out a passionate snarl and silenced his cherished Omega with a deep kiss, enjoying Thomas' sweetness and his natural ability to surrender to him and give him what he needed as an Alpha without fighting. They kissed for a long time to get familiar with each other, and Robertus' mind was spinning when he spread Thomas' legs and found his Omega wet and ready for him. The younger one was so hot and tight, but his entrance gave in so sweetly when he pushed his fingers inside, and Thomas arched his back up and moaned with passion and lust, his smooth and wet walls trying to swallow the tender intruders deeper and deeper. This was what Robertus had craved for so long, the sweet surrender of the Omega he loved.

Marcus was lying close beside them, and Robertus felt reassured by his presence, sensing Marcus' approval and love through their bond. His mate didn't try to restrain them and hide them from him any longer, and Robertus let his joy and love for his mate flow back to him, wanting to share his happiness with him.

“I love you, Thomas.” He was finally allowed to admit his love, not having to hide it anymore, and Thomas purred and moaned for him and surrendered to him, gasping softly when Robertus pushed his fingers deep inside him to find his most sensitive spot.

“I love you too, Robertus. You're my Alpha, my mate, from the moment I looked into your eyes for the first time.”

A wave of possessiveness coursed through Robertus at Thomas' confession, and his Alpha mate growled in return, but Marcus didn't try to pull him away from the shivering Omega. “Claim him, my mate, make him yours!” he hissed, clearly affected by the lust Robertus was feeling.

The dark-haired Alpha growled and pulled his fingers out, licking them clean to taste Thomas on his tongue. His mind was swimming with raw and painful desire, and he made himself comfortable between Thomas' spread legs and kissed him hard while he took himself in hand to guide his throbbing member where he needed to be so badly. Robertus hissed in pleasure when he sank into Thomas' velvety and oh so wet heat, tender walls enclosing him so perfectly. He lay still to savor the moment, sending the emotions being so close to his Omega aroused in him through their bond to let Marcus be a part of their lovemaking. The younger Alpha snuggled close to them, sniffing eagerly at Thomas' throat with low purrs.

Robertus started to move, pushing deep inside Thomas and pulling out again in a fast and steady rhythm, and he snaked his hand between their bodies to wrap it around Thomas' cock and make sure that his beloved Omega would come together with him. His teeth ached with the urge to sink themselves into Thomas' fragrant throat and claim him as his Omega for all of the time, but he knew that he didn't have the right to do that.

Marcus was his mate, and one night with Thomas had to be enough.

Robertus hadn't forgotten what Marcus had told him about the Omega he'd had to leave behind to become Robertus' mate, and it wouldn't be fair to claim Thomas when Marcus couldn't do that with the Omega he loved as well.

His desire burnt in every cell of his body, and Robertus tried to prolong it and make it last longer, but he knew that he would come soon again. His rut demanded release, and Thomas was already twitching in his fingers, wet and hard and close to his own orgasm. The next stroke up and down on Thomas' hard member and the next thrust against Thomas' prostate made both of them lose it, and Robertus growled and succumbed to the intense ecstasy that overtook him, coming hard inside his Omega just when Thomas arched his back with a strangled cry and spilled all over his fingers. More waves of blissful pleasure followed the first one, and Robertus didn't fight against his knot this time but let it swell deep inside Thomas' willing body, tying them together inseparably.

It was only then when he realized that Marcus hadn't come together with him when he had taken him earlier, and he turned his head to look at his mate and apologize to him, but Marcus just smiled at him and whispered:

“Make him yours, my mate. Lay your claim on him, Robertus. I know that you want to do that. Make sure that he will belong to us for all of the time!”


	7. True Mates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robertus is finally able to surrender to Marcus, and Thomas becomes his Omega like Robertus has longed for so badly for so long. Will Tiberius let Thomas come with Robertus and Marcus when they leave to go back to Germania?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My dear friends,
> 
> that's it, the last chapter of this story. It has become fluffier than I had intended it to be, but I simply had to give them their (more or less) happy ending. I could perhaps be tempted to write a sequel one day, there is one link still missing after all. Thank you for accompanying me on this rather bumpy journey, it was my pleasure and honor to write this story for you. <33

Robertus stared at Marcus in surprise, and his teeth ached with the urge to just do it and claim Thomas as his Omega like his mate had told him to do.

“I want to, I want to do that more than anything, but how shall that work? Our emperor won't be pleased if I claim his personal counselor as my Omega!” he stammered, desperately trying to be reasonable. Thomas let out a disappointed whimper, and Robertus' still hard cock spilled another spurt of seed against his wet walls in response. His knot was still too big to pull out of Thomas without hurting both of them, and Robertus felt dizzy with the desire to sink his teeth into Thomas' vulnerable throat.

Marcus snorted mockingly. “If I had to guess, then I would say that our wise and foresighted emperor Tiberius planned all of this. He always knew that we could never really be together without an Omega as the link between us, we're the true sons of our fathers after all; and Tiberius surely knew our fathers well enough to realize that our Alpha natures are too strong to have another Alpha as our mate without fighting. Besides, he wants our families to live and have descendants, how should that work without an Omega?”

The mere thought of Thomas carrying his child sent a powerful wave of lust and possessiveness through Robertus' body and through their link as well, and Marcus hissed and pressed a hard kiss onto his lips. “You knotted him, my mate, the chances that your mating will have consequences are not so small – even without Thomas being in heat. The seed of an Alpha in rut is especially powerful and fertile, you should actually know that.”

Marcus' statement pulled a heavy shiver from the Omega lying underneath him, and the dark-haired Alpha chided himself that he hadn't thought of this possibility, too driven by his rut and his instincts to care about anything else. But Marcus was right, and he couldn't help but hope that Thomas would be heavy with his child soon. For a brief moment, Robertus wished badly that Marcus could carry his child, but this wasn't possible, and the child that might be born after this night would be Marcus' child as much as it would be his own. It would carry the name of his family, but it would be a child born out of the love of three families, the Levantii, the Mullericii and the Retii.

Robertus looked down at Thomas, and the raw emotions he could see on his face made him act without thinking any further about the consequences. Thomas' tasted sweet and tempting when he bit down on his neck, so different from Marcus - but every bit as delicious and wonderful as his mate tasted to him. The Omega tilted his head in uttermost surrender and pleasure, moaning softly when the bond formed between them and his lifeblood flowed over Robertus' tongue.

It was an outstanding experience to form a second bond with the Omega who had been his right from the first moment on – just like Marcus had been his mate from the first look Robertus had taken in his wonderful amber-green eyes so long ago. Much to his astonishment he could also sense how the bond between him and Marcus became stronger and brighter with every powerful gulp he took from Thomas' claret, pulsing like their hearts were beating when the essence of what defined Thomas interwove with the threads of his connection with the other Alpha, his unique presence adding to their connection in an alluring and wonderful way.

Their emotions flowed back and forth between them like a large and deep river, and Thomas arched his back up against him and cried out in triumph, pulling harshly at Robertus' hair to get access to the red mark on his Alpha's neck and leave his own claim upon him as well when the dark-haired legatus finally drew back from his throat with a satisfied snarl.

The sensations coursing through him so powerfully were almost unbearably intensive, and Robertus' Alpha nature was fighting with the Omega he'd become for Marcus for a moment. The dark-haired son of one of the oldest aristocratic Roman families knew that he had to find a way to live with both of his selves in the future – with his old Alpha-self as much as with his new one and the Omega his bond with Marcus Retus had awoken in him, both of his selves equally strong and determined to win the upper hand.

But Robertus didn't feel any fear, trusting his two mates that they would help him through this fight and that he would come out of this night stronger than ever before, never doubting himself and his worth ever again.

“You're mine, Robertus, my Alpha!” Thomas breathed against his throat, drinking his claret and reaching out for Marcus' hand to have something to hold on to. “Yes, I'm your Alpha, love,” Robertus whispered, and he could taste himself on Thomas' warm lips when they kissed each other tenderly and passionately. Marcus' body was pressed against them, and Robertus turned his head and kissed him too, so happy that he feared he would burst.

“I love you. I love both of you so much!”

“We love you too, Levi, you're our mate, and nothing will ever separate us again,” Marcus promised hoarsely, and Robertus kissed him for a second time, held close and safe between his two mates, his Alpha and his Omega he loved more than life itself.

 

***

 

They had fallen asleep in each other's arms, and Marcus woke up to the powerful stream of emotions running unhindered and smoothly through their bond now. Thomas was still asleep, but Robertus was awake, watching him, and he smiled tenderly at him when he felt Marcus' gaze upon his face.

Marcus was hard and aching for him within seconds when he caught Robertus' hungry stare - as he hadn't found his release when he had surrendered to Robertus a couple of hours ago - and watching his mate bonding with the handsome Omega lying curled up next to them now hadn't been helpful to quench the fire of his lust either. The younger Alpha drew in a shaky breath, balling his fists to keep his self-control and not try to take his mate just like that. His desire for the beautiful man lying so close to him was driving him mad, but Robertus must be exhausted after all he'd gone through, and Marcus would never force himself upon him again.

“You're in need, my mate, let me take care of you,” Robertus whispered, “let me do for you what you have done for me.”

The blond Alpha growled with anticipation, but he hesitated to accept Robertus' offer in his state. Submitting to him was already hard enough for Robertus when he was not in rut, and the older Alpha was still warmer than usual because his rut hadn't faded completely. Marcus feared that he would hurt him if he took him in his state, and he swallowed against his overwhelming longing to bury himself deep into Robertus' deliciously tight heat and ease the burning in his groin.

Robertus' eyes were still slightly red, but they sparkled with love and desire for Marcus when he spread his legs for his aroused mate. “I woke up some time before you and I prepared myself for you, my Alpha. You didn't come when you surrendered to me, and I can feel your pain, Mars,” he murmured in a husky voice, and there was no way Marcus would be able to resist his beautiful mate after that confession.

“Are you sure, Levi?” he asked nonetheless, his whole body trembling in the attempt to hold himself back. “Your rut is still not over, and submitting to me is already hard enough for you when you're not in rut.”

“Yes, I am, Mars. More than sure. I want it, I want to give myself to you completely – just like you gave yourself to me. My love for you will help me,” Robertus simply said, and the trust and devotion in his voice tightened Marcus' throat with emotion. Robertus' devotion came not from his natural urge to submit like an Omega wanted to submit to an Alpha, but from his deep love for Marcus, and it was even more precious to the younger one because of that. Robertus smiled at him, stroking his cheek. “You are my mate, my Alpha, and I know that you won't hurt me. I have faith in you.”

Marcus let Robertus pull him on top of him, and he pushed his nose into the warm crook of his neck to lick over the mark on his throat. It was pulsing under his touch, and Marcus sent his desire through their link without holding himself back, groaning with sheer need when Robertus wrapped his long elegant fingers around his aching member to slick it up. “By Jupiter, I want you so much!” Marcus gasped out, and Thomas stirred beside them with a yawn, wide awake within seconds when he saw what Robertus was doing. Robertus' fingers stroked him teasingly as he applied the fragrant oil onto his throbbing Alpha cock, and Marcus feared that he would come just from the warm hand massaging him so skillfully until he was wet enough and ready to take his mate smoothly and without hurting him.

The handsome Omega snuggled closer to his Alpha when Robertus wrapped his legs around Marcus' hips, purring contentedly into their ears. “Your mate indeed deserves a special reward after what he did for you,” Thomas encouraged his Alpha to let the younger one take him, and the mixture of lust, devotion and the struggling of a powerful and strong Alpha submitting to his mate made Marcus' desire for the beautiful man in his arms burn higher and higher.

Robertus smelled more delicious and compelling to him than ever before, his earthy natural fragrance underlaid with the sweetness of their Omega so perfectly. Thomas was Robertus' Omega and he would always belong to him only, but he was a part of the bond that tied Marcus and Robertus together now, and Thomas smelled almost as tempting to Marcus as the one special and beautiful Omega he loved with every fiber of his being had always smelled to him – the one Marcus had had to leave behind when Tiberius had summoned him back to Rome.

The beloved Omega Marcus hoped to see again one day.

Maybe it was too late for that hope, too late to fix things between them again, but perhaps the Gods would show mercy and give him a second chance with the Omega Marcus' heart belonged to like it had always belonged to Robertus from the very beginning.

This time it was so easy when Marcus entered the other Alpha, as Robertus didn't fight against him for the very first time since they had become mates, but welcomed him happily in his body and his heart with love and pleasure. He was still tighter than an Omega surrendering to their Alpha would be, but the tightness and the heat only added to the pleasure Marcus was experiencing when he took the older Alpha, his right to do so finally acknowledged and wanted by Robertus.

The blond legatus moaned ardently, searching for Robertus' lips, and his mate kissed him back with all the passion he felt for him, ardor and longing flowing between them in hot waves. Marcus let Robertus take control of their kiss and lay still for a moment to savor their closeness with gratitude and joy, and the dark-haired Alpha sighed softly into his mouth and pushed his hips against his body in an inviting way to make him move.

He was hard against Marcus' abdomen, and Marcus was determined to make this a wonderful experience for his mate and prove to him that there was no shame in surrendering to the mate the Gods themselves had chosen for Robertus.

He started to move, pulling out and pushing in again in a steady and slow rhythm to let the tension between them build delicately and pleasurably, and he braced his hands against the mattress at each side of Robertus' head to support his weight when the other man relaxed beneath him, enjoying their lovemaking to the fullest for the first time.

“Stroke my mate, Omega, make sure that he will feel pleasure and come together with me,” he ordered breathlessly, and Thomas obeyed without objection, taking Robertus' twitching cock in his hand to massage him in time to Marcus' thrusts.

Robertus was breathtakingly beautiful in his arousal, and he shuddered with a strangled cry when Marcus changed the angle of his movements to search for the small bundles of nerves deep inside his mate's tight passage. His cry was the sweetest music imaginable in Marcus' ears, and he focused on that spot and brushed over it with the tip of his hard cock again and again until the proud Alpha trapped beneath his lithe frame was a quivering and panting mess, begging him for more in incoherent words. Thomas' ardent gaze was glued to Robertus' flushed face, and the sensations coursing through all the three of them strengthened their already so strong bond.

Marcus sat back on his heels, grasping Robertus' hips, and the dark-haired Alpha tightened his legs around Marcus' back when the younger one grew harder inside him with his approaching climax.

The sweet scent of Thomas' slick filled the air, and the Omega with hair like dark honey groaned with need and moved closer to rub himself against Robertus' body where he was hard and aroused again between his legs, twitching against Robertus' narrow hips.

“Kiss him, Omega, kiss my mate and finish him!” Marcus growled, and Thomas moved his hand faster up and down on Robertus' impressive weapon, stroking it feverishly until his Alpha cried out in ecstasy, coating the tender fingers pleasuring him so passionately with his seed. Marcus waited until he was sure that Robertus was trapped in his lust and satisfaction before he allowed his own climax to overtake him, pumping his ecstasy deep inside Robertus' shivering body, and the hot and tight walls clenching around him with Robertus' orgasm prolonged his orgasm and boosted his release to new levels. He tried to pull out when he felt his knot swell inside his mate, unable to control it, but Robertus dug his heels into his backside and shook his head, swelling in Thomas' hand at the same time.

“I want it, I want you to knot me, Marcus. You're my mate, my Alpha, I want all of you!”

Marcus had never felt more powerful, more like an Alpha and blessed by the Gods in this moment, and he let go of his self-control and closed his eyes, overwhelmed and grateful that Robertus allowed him to be his Alpha in every way and unquestioningly. He stilled his motions in order not to hurt the man who was making him such a precious and unexpected gift, and he entangled his finger's with his mate's digits when Robertus searched for his hand.

“That's it, that's what your Alpha needs, love. Just relax and don't fight him, he won't hurt you,” Thomas praised Robertus when the dark-haired Alpha whimpered with the outstanding experience of being knotted like an Omega, and Marcus could see that Thomas had found his own release on Robertus' thigh. Sharing the ecstasy of his two Alphas through their bond had been too much for Thomas to hold himself back, and he had come together with them, coating Robertus' leg with his semen, just like it should be between true mates.

Marcus stroked Robertus' flanks and rubbed tender circles onto his stomach to soothe him, and his mate smiled at him with sparkling blue eyes.

“I love you, Marcus. The Gods have made us a wonderful gift, and I will never question their will and their great wisdom again.”

“Me neither, my mate. I love you too.” Marcus carefully bent down to kiss him, thanking Jupiter and every other Roman God that they had gifted him with the mate his heart had always yearned for – even when they had hated each other.

Robertus was his now, and they would never part again as long as they lived.

 

***

 

“I'm pleased to see you, I've already been waiting for you.”

Tiberius rose to his feet to descend the few stairs from the pedestal where his throne stood, coming to a halt before the three men bowing before him. “So you have finally sorted things out between you and are ready to acknowledge the will of the Gods.”

“Yes, we are, great emperor.” Robertus raised his head to look Tiberius in the eyes. “We are true mates now, and I will follow my Alpha-mate to Germania to live there with him. Marcus belongs to Germania, and there is no other place where he could serve you better than in Mogontiacum, Tiberius.”

Tiberius smiled knowingly. “And you two love birds will be taking my personal counselor away from me in the process, because there is no way that you would ever leave your Omega behind, isn't that so, Robertus?”

Robertus blushed, but he didn't avert his eyes, lifting his chin up in defiance. “You want our families to be united and become stronger than ever before, and how should that happen without an Omega who can give us the children we'll need if we don't want our families to be extinguished one day?” he defended himself, and Tiberius raised a calming hand.

“I know how nature works, my friend, you don't have to fight for your Omega,” the older Alpha chuckled with true amusement. “I knew that this would happen ever since my divinely predecessor told me about the oath he had sworn before the Gods back then all those years ago.” He stepped closer to sniff at Thomas' throat, and Robertus suppressed an annoyed growl only with effort.

Tiberius was the first and most powerful Alpha of the Roman Empire, and it was his perfect right and his duty to care about each and every Omega living in his realm, even about those who were mated to another Alpha.

“Calm down, Robertus, I have no intention to separate you from your rightful Omega,” Tiberius assured him with gentle amusement. “Even more because your bond has already come to fruition. I'm happy to be the first one to congratulate you for becoming a proud father in a couple of months! You're really not doing things halfheartedly, aren't you, my friend.”

Robertus' eyes went big, and he gasped out, staring at his beloved Omega in awe and wonder. Marcus squeezed his hand with a smile. “I told you that Thomas could be pregnant with your child, my mate,” he chuckled softly, and Robertus swallowed several times, too touched to speak.

“But it's too early to be sure!” he eventually croaked out, and Tiberius cupped his cheek and pressed their foreheads together for a moment or two. “No, it's not, I can clearly sense the life-energy of your child, my faithful friend. It's already as strong and stubborn as you are, and it will honor the great name of your family, Robertus Levantus, that much is sure.”

Tiberius stepped back, and Robertus felt dizzy and overwhelmed, scared and grateful at the same time. The older Alpha seemed to be so sure of what he'd said, and Robertus so wanted to believe him. Thomas looked as stunned as he felt, only Marcus grinned, looking smug and content that he had been right with his assumption.

“Thank you, great and wise Tiberius,” Robertus eventually whispered when he'd found his tongue again, pulling Thomas into his arms and taking Marcus' hand to squeeze his fingers until his Alpha mate groaned in pain. If this was a dream, then Robertus never wanted to wake up from it.

“You're welcome, I have to thank you for giving Rome such a precious gift. You will travel on board my own ship to Germania, and you will leave Rome within the next days – as traveling will become too straining for your Omega soon enough,” Tiberius decided, returning to his chair to sit down on it. “My ship will bring you to Gaul's coast safely, it would be too dangerous for Thomas to take the route over the Alps. Matteus and his guards will see to your safety until your arrival in Mogontiacum. And don't even try to argue with me about that, your unborn child is too precious to risk anything. You don't want to annoy the godfather of your first born, Robertus, do you?”

“You honor us, Tiberius,” Robertus croaked out, and the imperial Alpha smiled at him. “Not, it's me who's feeling honored to have such faithful friends, Robertus. The Mullericii, the Levantii and the Retii have always belonged to the strong pillars Rome and her empire has been built upon, and this will never change. Marcus will stay the commander of Mogontiacum and of the legions that are deployed there, and you will be promoted to the rank of a consul before your departure in the memorial of your father. I still miss your fathers dearly, and it is about time that you'll finally succeed him. I'll send you to Germania as my emissary and my right hand, Robertus, and I'm convinced that the three of you will bring peace to the northern borders of my empire.  
Thomas will accompany you as your counselor, because the Teutons oftentimes have Omegas as their chiefs and priests, and you'll need his advice to negotiate with them. It's a good thing that I had already chosen your successors before you came here today, Manuellus Novus will be my military adviser from now on, and Leonidas Goretikas will be my personal counselor from now on. It won't be the same as it was with you, but they are faithful to me, and they will learn how to serve me as devotedly as you did, there's no doubt about that.”

Robertus knew both of them, and he had to admit that Tiberius' choice was wise and actually the best choice he could have made given the circumstances.

Tiberius let his eyes travel over them before locking gazes with Marcus. “Your bond is not complete, Marcus Retus. The Gods talked to me in the night when you'd come to me to ask me for mercy and let Thomas come with you to save your mate's life. They told me that the three of you shall return to Germania and complete your bond there with the one who has been chosen to fulfill the destiny they had carved into the stone where Rome's fate is written upon long before either of you were born. I guess you know whom I'm talking about, son of Thomas Retus?”

Marcus nodded, and his voice was hoarse and filled with longing when he said: “Yes, my emperor. You're talking about Albin's son Erik, the prince and heir of the Mattiacers.”

Tiberius nodded contentedly. “Rome's fate depends on you. The love between the four of you will save the empire, but if you fail, Rome will be destroyed and every Roman will be doomed to die a painful death. So hurry to reach the place the Gods have chosen for you to complete your bond and save their faithful children, there is no time to waste. Your mother Rome is in danger, and it is upon you as her devoted children to save her and bring her back to old glory and strength.”

 

***

 

The sea was calm and quiet when Tiberius' ship left Rome's harbor to sail to Gaul, and Robertus, Marcus and Thomas didn't cast a single glance back but stood at the bow of Tiberius' ship, their glances directed at the seemingly blue endlessness of the Mediterranean Sea and at their own future that lay behind the horizon where the sparkling blue of the sea met the deep blue of the sky.

The thick green forests of Germania would be their home from now on, and Robertus didn't feel any regret that he had to leave the heart of the Roman Empire to live in its wild north. His home was where his two beloved mates were, and Marcus' heart belonged to Germania and to the Omega who was certainly waiting for his return as desperately as Marcus was aching for him. The dark-haired Alpha was grateful that Marcus would hopefully be able to bond with Erik the Mattiacer soon as well, but he also felt a little bit jealous, the Omega in him fearing that his mate would desire him less when he could hold a real Omega in his arms.

“This will never happen, Levi. Nothing will ever make me not desire you with every fiber of my being.” Marcus smiled at him when he sensed Robertus' worries through their bond, and Robertus smiled back, his heart beating with the deep love he felt for his mate.

“We will win your Omega back for you, Mars. We won't rest until Erik will be yours and a real part of our bond. The Gods themselves have decided that the four of us belong together, and we won't fail them but become true mates – all of us – just like it was meant to be from the beginning.”

Marcus wrapped his arms around Robertus' shoulder, and Robertus did the same with Thomas standing at his other side. Together they looked at the horizon, and the love flowing back and forth between them filled Robertus' heart and mind.

“True mates, united in love and faith,” Marcus whispered, and Robertus nodded and kissed him on his cheek, before he did the same with the Omega carrying his child – the hope and the future of Rome and the Roman Empire.

“Yes, true mates,” he said with a smile, “now and forever and a day.”

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [How Much Pain Can You Take...?](https://archiveofourown.org/works/16276868) by [Janie94](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Janie94/pseuds/Janie94)




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